Quarterback Tanner McKee saw his first NFL regular season action Sunday, and he made the most of it — throwing his first NFL pass and later his first touchdown.
McKee was called upon to enter the Philadelphia Eagles’ game against the Dallas Cowboys with starter Jalen Hurts in concussion protocol and backup quarterback Kenny Pickett sidelined with an injury.
Late in the third quarter, McKee threw a 20-yard pass to Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown for McKee’s first touchdown.
For special milestones such as McKee’s, players typically keep the ball used on the play instead of giving it to the official or to a fan in the crowd. But in the excitement following the play, Brown launched the ball as far as he could into the stands behind the end zone.
The broadcast showed Brown’s reaction when he figured out what he’d done.
The cameras then caught Brown gesturing to his jersey and appearing to say he’d give the fan his game-worn jersey in exchange for the ball.
The Eagles’ chief security officer, Dom “Big Dom” DiSandro, went into the stands to retrieve it from the fan, who complied.
How Tanner McKee reacted to AJ Brown’s move
On Monday, the Eagles shared a video on X of McKee finding out his ball was gone. Fellow Eagles quarterback Ian Book was the one to tell him.
“Dude, no. Did he really?” McKee said. “I got family over there, so maybe they got it.”
The video ended with Brown personally returning the ball to McKee and apologizing for throwing it.
“Thank you, sir. Appreciate you, my man,” McKee said. “Thanks for making that great play, man.”
Brown kept his word to the fan after the game.
He went to the back of the end zone to give the fan his signed game-worn jersey, as seen in a video shared by Mike Garafolo on X.
What did Tanner McKee say about his NFL debut?
McKee finished the game with three completions for 54 yards and two touchdowns, making history while he was at it.
McKee was “the first NFL player in 41 years to throw two touchdown passes of 20 or more yards in a game in which he threw four or fewer total passes,” according to NBC Sports Philadelphia.
The last player to do so was Walter Payton in 1983.
Despite the low number of yards and completions, McKee earned praise from his teammates, including left tackle Jordan Mailata, per NBC Sports Philadelphia.
“How about the Mormon Missile?” Mailata said. “The secret’s out.”
As the third-string quarterback, McKee runs the scout team during Eagles practices against the defensive starters.
“It’s what we see at practice,” Mailata said. “The reason why our defense is playing the way they’re playing right now: the Mormon Missile.”
McKee described Sunday as “surreal,” according to NBC Sports Philadelphia.
“You grow up dreaming of playing college football and then someday in the NFL. So to actually play in the NFL, play with these guys, throw a touchdown pass, win a game, it is surreal. It’s really awesome.”
Who is Tanner McKee?
McKee, who is from Corona, California, was drafted by the Eagles in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL draft.
He started 21 games during the 2021 and 2022 seasons for the Stanford Cardinal before forgoing his remaining eligibility to enter the draft.
Prior to playing at Stanford, McKee served a mission in Brazil for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. McKee shared with the Deseret News in 2023 that he’s often asked about his decision to delay his college football career to serve a mission, including in devotionals with the church’s youth.
“The kids ask great questions. They ask, ‘Where do you think you’d be if you didn’t serve a mission?’ I have no idea where I could have been,” he said. “Would have I been a better athlete? No, I don’t think I would have been a better athlete. We don’t really know. The answer is, when you put Heavenly Father first, you know that he’ll allow you to reach your potential. I think that’s something that’s important.”
McKee’s mission in Brazil came full circle with his NFL career this season.
The Eagles’ 2024 NFL season began with the team playing in the NFL’s first-ever game in Brazil. When it was announced last season that the Eagles were chosen to play in Brazil, McKee told the Deseret News, “there’s definitely some divine intervention, for sure” in the decision.
While the Eagles were in Brazil, McKee showed off his Portuguese-speaking skills he learned on his mission.
He answered questions from the Brazilian media in Portuguese during a press conference and tried to teach his teammates the language — both of which went viral — as the Deseret News reported.
McKee could see more NFL action on Sunday when Philadelphia plays its regular season finale against the New York Giants with Hurts still in concussion protocol and the Eagles having already secured the NFC’s No. 2 seed in the playoffs.