Preposterous Steelers-Eagles trade proposal would see Philadelphia fleece Pittsburgh

Feb 13, 2026 - 23:30

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Preposterous Steelers-Eagles trade proposal would see Philadelphia fleece Pittsburgh originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

We're going to see a lot of you know what thrown against the wall by analysts this offseason and a trade proposal from an ESPN analyst that involves the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles might be the worst you'll see.

The trade proposal comes from Bill Barnwell on the NFL Daily podcast and he suggests the Steelers send the Eagles edge rusher Nick Herbig in exchange for quarterback Tanner McKee.

Before we bang our head against the wall, here's Barnwell's thoughts on the proposed trade:

"If you need a Tanner McKee and you knew someone who obsesses over edge rushing talent, would you not call the Eagles and say, 'Nick Herbig, Tanner McKee, two guys on rookie deals,'" Barnwell said.

"You get a cost control player for another year who had phenomenal pass rushing numbers and we get our quarterback of the future," Barnwell added. "Does that not seem like a scratch my back, I scratch yours situation?"

No, Bill, it doesn't.

Typically, a quarterback has more value in today's NFL. Nobody would argue that.

However, when you're talking about an unproven quarterback like McKee and an ascending edge rusher like Herbig, the latter is easily more valuable, even with Pittsburgh's need under center.

Sure, McKee could turn out to be a franchise quarterback, but the jury is still very much out on him. McKee has shown some flashes in preseason and regular season games but still has just two starts and 178 snaps under his belt in the NFL.

Meanwhile, Herbig gets better every year. He posted a career-best 7.5 sacks in 2025 following a 2024 campaign that saw him post 5.5 in just 13 games.

In no world should the Steelers make this trade. Philly would have to add significant draft capital to the deal and even then it isn't a no-brainer.