Apr 18, 2025, 08:51 PM ET
SEATTLE — The Seahawks are open to trading Sam Howell and have received inquiries from teams interested in acquiring their backup quarterback, sources have told ESPN.
That interest comes on the heels of the Seahawks adding Drew Lock last week, re-signing Geno Smith’s former backup to potentially fill the same role behind new starter Sam Darnold. Jaren Hall is their fourth quarterback, giving Seattle a potential surplus at the position.
General manager John Schneider told Seattle Sports 710-AM on Thursday that the Seahawks are prepared to have Howell and Lock compete for the backup job. The team long kept only two quarterbacks on its 53-man roster under former coach Pete Carroll, but it had three by season’s end last year under Mike Macdonald after promoting Hall from the practice squad. New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak kept three during his previous OC stints with the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints.
Seattle acquired Howell in a trade last March with the Washington Commanders, giving up third- and fifth-round selections in exchange for Howell and picks in the fourth and sixth rounds. The Seahawks beat out three other teams who were also negotiating with Washington, a source told ESPN at the time.
Howell, 24, was unremarkable over the offseason and struggled badly in a relief appearance of Smith in December. After Smith hurt his knee midway through the third quarter of a 30-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers, Howell completed only 5 of 14 attempts for 24 yards and an interception.
Howell, a fifth-round pick by Washington in 2022, started all 17 games for the Commanders in 2023, throwing for 21 touchdowns and a league-high 21 interceptions. He also led the NFL with 612 attempts, completing 63.4% of them while throwing for 3,946 yards. The Commanders went 4-13, traded Howell to Seattle and drafted Jayden Daniels second overall.
“Sam was put in a very hard spot last year,” Schneider told the radio station. “He comes in, he’s learning a new system. The year before, I think he led the league in attempts, and they didn’t run the ball at all. We loved the toughness and everything. He comes in, learns a whole new system that was heavy, heavy dropback and gets thrown into a game where we’re behind, we’re throwing the ball every play, backed up. It didn’t go well for him. He would admit that, probably from a preparation standpoint, too. But he wasn’t put in a great spot.”
Schneider previously described Howell’s mobility as being a good fit for Kubiak’s offense, with its emphasis on quarterback bootlegs.
“I think all of us, Sam included, would say, OK, last year is just a wash, man. Let’s put that aside. Let’s get back in a pro-style system, a proven system because he can move,” Schneider told the station. “As you guys well know, against us he had a really nice game running the ball as well two years ago. We know all three of those guys can move.”
Schneider also said the Lock addition “doesn’t preclude us from doing anything in the draft.” Lock’s contract is for two years and $5 million. It contains $2.25 million in guarantees, according to OverTheCap.com.
“I think it’s a great situation,” he said. “We have four guys that we really like.”
