The Seattle Seahawks have traded for Washington’s quarterback Sam Howell, who started all 17 games for the Commanders in 2023.
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The Seahawks and Commanders confirmed the move Thursday afternoon.
Here is a breakdown of the trade:
• The Seahawks acquire quarterback Sam Howell, a fourth-round NFL draft pick (No. 102) and a sixth-round pick (No. 179).
• Commanders receive a third-round pick (78) and a fifth-round pick (152).
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Seattle Seahawks have “long liked Howell,” a 2021 fifth-round pick from North Carolina.
Why did the Seahawks deal for quarterback Sam Howell? GM Schneider explains.
Howell, 23, completed 64.4% of his pass attempts last season. He had the most attempts in the NFL, 21 interceptions, and 65 sacks, while also throwing for 3,946 yards and 21 touchdowns. He was also fired a league-high 65 times.
The Seahawks have kept Geno Smith, their starting quarterback for the last two seasons, but the New York Giants signed backup Drew Lock in free agency this week.
Smith, a strong Lock booster while they were teammates, responded enthusiastically to Howell’s reported addition on social media.
Former Seattle Sports anchor Jake Heaps discussed Howell as a potential Seahawks draft pick in 2021.
“This is a guy that is a great, solid leader, is somebody that I think pushes the ball down the field extremely well, may arguably have one of the best deep balls in terms of accuracy in this draft,” Heaps, who played for the Seahawks, said. “He doesn’t stand out for his arm strength, but he reminds me of Drew Brees.” He resembles Drew Brees in terms of size and throwing skill. One of the things that has amazed me about him that I did not realize throughout my time with him is how much of a gamer he is, and how much he can think outside the box and create.”
For more on Heaps’ opinion of Howell at the time, see the article at this link.
The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Howell broke out as a sophomore at North Carolina in 2020, completing 68.1% of his passing attempts for 3,586 yards and 30 touchdowns against seven interceptions. His results were less impressive in 2021, when he completed 62.5% of his passes for 3,056 yards and 24 touchdowns against nine interceptions.
Seattle is beginning a new era, with Mike Macdonald taking over as head coach and former UW Huskies offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb taking on the same role with the Seahawks.
Washington has signed veteran backup Marcus Mariota and might draft its future quarterback with the second overall pick, either North Carolina’s Drake Maye or LSU’s Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels.
Seahawks general manager/president of football operations John Schneider will discuss the move with Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob at 4 p.m. Thursday on the weekly John Schneider Show.
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