Seahawks Take Low-Risk, High-Reward Gamble in Sam Howell Trade

Offering the physical tools that general manager John Schneider covets at quarterback, the Seattle Seahawks hope a change of scenery can unlock Sam Howell's potential and push Geno Smith under center.

After months of speculation about the Geno Smith's future with the franchise, the Seattle Seahawks have brought in new competition to push the veteran for starting quarterback duties in 2024 and beyond with a fascinating trade.

As reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Seahawks acquired quarterback Sam Howell, a fourth-round pick, and a sixth-round from the Commanders in exchange for a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick. The former fifth-round pick out of North Carolina has two years remaining on his rookie contract with a nudge over $2 million left on the deal, making him an ideal candidate to bring on board for a competition.

Showing promise in his first season as a starter, the Seahawks are banking on Sam Howell pushing Geno Smith and potentially being a long-term option under center

Starting for the Tar Heels and starting as a true freshman, Howell threw for 10,283 yards with 92 touchdowns and 23 interceptions while earning All-ACC recognition in 2019 and 2020. With several of his top receivers leaving for the NFL draft and fewer weapons at his disposal in the passing game, he showed his underrated running ability in his junior season, eclipsing 800 rushing yards with 11 touchdowns on the ground.

With his completion percentage and touchdown pass totals regressing substantially in his final year in Chapel Hill, Howell plummeted to the fifth round before Washington ended his free fall by selecting him with the 144th overall selection. Earning a start in the team's final game of his rookie season, he did enough in a solid performance to vault himself into the full-time starting role in 2023.

Though Howell led the NFL with 21 interceptions while starting all 17 games for the Commanders and endured plenty of struggles, he flashed promise while throwing a league-high 612 pass attempts despite playing behind an offensive line that allowed a league-worst 65 sacks. Nearly hitting 4,000 passing yards for the first time, he completed a respectable 63 percent of his passes with 21 touchdown tosses and added 263 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

With Smith's roster bonus being restructured into base salary last month, the two-time Pro Bowler should be the favorite to retain his starting job. A respected leader in the locker room and one of the NFL's top passers statistically in numerous categories over the past two years, he will get the first crack to fend off his new teammate and re-establish him as a possible long-term starter for Seattle.

In that sense, some fans and experts may view unloading a third-round pick, especially with the Seahawks already without a second-round pick thanks to the Leonard Williams trade back in October, as overpay for a perceived backup.

However, after the departure of former backup Drew Lock to the Giants in free agency earlier this week, general manager John Schneider's latest roll of the dice gives the Seahawks something they haven't had in years: a young quarterback on an affordable rookie contract with starter skills. As he has lamented as recently as this year's combine last month, the team has only drafted two quarterbacks in his previous 14 years at the helm, and now he has landed one he has liked for quite some time.

Prior to the 2022 NFL Draft, per a team source, Schneider was "smitten" over Howell and met with him at the Senior Bowl as well as the NFL combine. But with Lock coming over in the Russell Wilson trade and Smith returning on a new contract, he opted to attack other positional needs, viewing the then-25-year old Lock as a pseudo draft pick seeking a fresh start in Seattle.

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Two years later, after Smith beat out Lock to replace Wilson under center, the Seahawks were left with a major void with only one quarterback on the roster and limited draft capital to try to move up for a signal caller in April. With Howell already on his radar as a dual-threat quarterback with top-tier arm talent and the Commanders holding a top-five pick to pursue their next quarterback, the stars aligned for Schneider to get his guy even after choosing not to draft him.

Thinking big picture, trading for Howell carries some parallels to acquiring Lock. While he won't be coming to the Pacific Northwest as part of a blockbuster deal and face the pressure of replacing the best quarterback in franchise history, he will join his second team with ample starting experience and flashes of brilliant play coupled with plenty of shaky performances as well, which compares favorably to Lock's time with the Broncos.

What makes this trade more intriguing, however, is that Howell isn't joining the Seahawks entering the final year of his contract. New coach Mike Macdonald, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, and the rest of the coaching staff will have extensive time to develop and evaluate him, and if he ends up becoming a quality starter, giving up only a third and fifth-round pick for him will look like a heist.

Even if the trade doesn't yield a starter in Howell, the Seahawks are finally taking a swing on a young quarterback with roster control who has the prerequisite physical tools to be a long-term answer with proper coaching and development. At worst, they have another experienced backup if Smith goes down with a high ceiling, which is a far better position than they were after Lock's departure.

As for whether or not Howell's arrival means Seattle won't draft a quarterback in April, this trade likely diminishes the chances Schneider will select one, especially with only two picks in the first three rounds. At the same time, given his cheap contract as a former day-three pick, it won't deter him from picking a quarterback if the right player falls to them next month, providing great flexibility at the most important position.