Sam Howell, a quarterback, was acquired by the Seattle Seahawks from the Washington Commanders on Thursday.
Seattle acquired picks in the third (No. 78) and fifth (No. 152) rounds in exchange for Howell, a fourth-round selection (No. 102 overall), and a sixth-round pick (No. 179). The Seahawks are forfeiting their own third-round pick because they acquired an additional pick in the round through a trade with the Denver Broncos in April of last year.
Seahawks general manager John Schneider stated on his weekly radio program on Thursday that “several” other teams were considering a trade for Howell. Schneider clarified that Seattle is acquiring Howell to be Geno Smith’s backup, not to challenge Smith for the starting job.
Schneider told Seattle Sports 710-AM, “This past fall, he had a great day against us.” “He plays football, but his position is quarterback. That’s why I adore him so much. Young and incredibly tough. At the age of 23, he has already made 18 starts in the league. He’s one year younger than Bo Nix and about the same age as, say, [Jayden] Daniels from LSU, [Spencer] Rattler, and [Michael] Penix [Jr.].
“We were really overjoyed to be able to obtain him. We are aware of his seriousness. He puts his all into it and works really hard. Coming out of college, we loved him and he had wonderful ratings from us. Thus, yes, we are glad to have him involved. Geno is the man, and Sam will support him.”
In a November loss against the Seahawks, Howell, the starting quarterback for Washington the previous season, passed for 312 yards and three touchdowns.
