Update: GM John Schneider said that “Geno is the guy, and Sam will be backing him up.” He also noted that Howell is around the same age or actually younger than the top quarterbacks in this upcoming rookie class.
The Seattle Seahawks acquired quarterback Sam Howell from the Washington Commanders, per Adam Schefter. The move wasn’t a big surprise as Washington currently holds the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and has long been expected to take a top quarterback in this year’s class. The Commanders front office chose to move Howell and 2024 fourth and sixth-round picks for a 2024 third and fifth-round pick.
Seattle is already entering into a new era as they amicably parted ways with former head coach Pete Carroll as he moved to a front office role. The Seahawks hired former Baltimore Ravens defense coordinator Mike Macdonald to take over for Carroll. Macdonald was asked earlier in the offseason if veteran QB Geno Smith was the team’s quarterback for 2024, and he was hesitant to commit. Sure, it makes sense that a head coach won’t commit to a starter that early in the offseason, but it also was a bit of a surprise at how noncommittal it was.
In Schefter’s follow-up announcing the trade, he mentions that Howell “can compete with Geno Smith for the Seahawks starting job.” Again, this could be just phrasing, but it sounds like Howell could have a real shot at being under center when Seattle opens its 2024 regular season.
Last season, Howell played in all 17 games for Washington and finished with 3,946 yards, 21 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. He added 263 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. These numbers don’t suggest that Howell should be trusted as a starter, but a lot of the blame could be placed on former Washington head coach Ron Rivera and the fact that last season saw the removal of Dan Snyder as the team’s owner.
Smith’s resurgence continued in Seattle last season. He didn’t have as good of a season as he did in 2022, but still tallied 3,624 yards with 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 15 games. For now, it feels like Howell is the backup option, but if Father Times starts to creep up on the 33-year-old Smith, Howell could surpass the veteran on the depth chart. Smith did sign a hefty contract with Seattle ahead of 2023 and is under contract through the 2025 season, as is Howell on his rookie deal.