QB Trade: Seahawks Reveal Geno Smith vs. Sam Howell Competition: Who's 'The Guy'?

QB Trade: Seattle Seahawks Reveal Geno Smith vs. Sam Howell Competition: Who's 'The Guy'?

The Seattle Seahawks traded for quarterback Sam Howell on Thursday, in part as a result of the fact, as unearthed here by our Corbin K. Smith, that GM .M. John Schneider has always been a fan of the former North Carolina star, who couldn't quite solve the Washington Commanders' problems in his attempts at being a starter.

Can be be a starter in Seattle?

“Geno is the guy, and Sam will be backing him up,” Schneider said during an appearance on Seattle Sports 710 as a follow-up to the trade, which has Seattle swapping a fourth- and sixth-rounder for a third- and fifth-rounderr in this NFL Draft. 

So ... that's that?

We address here the possibility, given the escape hatches in Geno's contract, that Howell - the former fifth-round Washington selection - might someday supplant Smith as the starter.

Someday ... like maybe next year?

That likelihood hasn't stopped the conspiracy theories from tossing out alternative thoughts. PFT has in the last 24 hours already written two stories suggesting that Geno might not be "the guy.''

We're going to choose to believe the GM who actually likes Howell.

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“I’m sure there’s competition,'' Schneider predicted. "But ... it’s not like we’re signing him to go and compete with Geno to be a starter.''

Schneider said of Howell, "He’s young, he’s smart, he’s tough. He’s just a football player ... He’s a competitive guy.”

Smith represents much of the same. And competition is good, generally. But amid attempts at "reading between the lines regarding Schneider’s comments,'' maybe first we should just listen to what the GM is telling us.