Seahawks open to trading backup quarterback Sam Howell, per report

The Seattle Seahawks have turned their quarterback room on its head this offseason, and they may not be done wheeling and dealing. The club is open and has received inquiries from other teams interested in trading for backup quarterback Sam Howell, according to ESPN. 

This comes off the heels of a seismic offseason for the position in Seattle. Last month, the Seahawks traded starter Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders and turned around to sign Sam Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million deal in free agency. The club also recently signed veteran Drew Lock to bolster the position group, creating a surplus with Jaren Hall also on the roster. 

So, that makes it four quarterbacks currently on the Seattle roster, and that will almost certainly be whittled down. Last season, under head coach Mike Macdonald, the club finished the year with three quarterbacks on the roster. Meanwhile, new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak kept three quarterbacks on his roster when serving as the offensive coordinator in Minnesota and New Orleans. In the prior regime under Pete Carroll, they routinely had two quarterbacks.

That could result in Howell being the odd man out, especially if Seattle can fetch a return for him on the trade market. 

Last offseason, the Seahawks traded for Howell in a deal with the Washington Commanders. Seattle shipped out a 2024 third and fifth-round pick in exchange for Howell, a 2024 fourth and sixth-round selection. 

The UNC product entered the NFL as a fifth-round draft choice of Washington in 2022 and started 18 games for the franchise, including the entire 2023 season. That year, Howell threw for 3,946 yards, 21 touchdowns, and a league-worst 21 interceptions. Last season, Howell made just two appearances for Seattle and wasn’t overwhelmingly impressive. Specifically, he appeared in the team’s Week 15 matchup against the Green Bay Packers and completed 35.7% of his throws and tossed an interception.