'Happy to Be Here': Sam Howell Lands in Desired Destination to Reboot Career With Seattle Seahawks

After two up and down years with the Washington Commanders, Sam Howell is excited to continue his career with the Seahawks.

Dec 31, 2023; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell (14) attempts a pass against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

One of the worst things that can happen to a quarterback is being in a poor position. That is what Sam Howell had with the Washington Commanders. It was a situation marred by a leaky offensive line and a tumultuous ownership and front office situation.

The Commanders selected Howell at the top of the fifth round and he wowed in his only start in 2022, where he beat the Dallas Cowboys in Week 18. He parlayed that into the starting job in 2023. But despite a solid start, things didn't go well for many reasons and Washington ended up with the second overall pick following a four-win season. They took LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels and traded Howell to the Seattle Seahawks for two draft pick swaps.

Howell had a lot of conversation with the Seahawks during the pre-draft process and came away impressed, making his latest destination an ideal one for him.

“We had some good talks. Coach Canales was here at the time and he was great. It was fun getting to know him. Obviously going to the draft, you really never know what's going to happen and I don't regret anything that happened to me in my career, and I truly believe that everything that's happened has happened for a reason and I truly believe that God has a plan for me and going to Washington, I definitely learned a lot out of that experience and I'm happy to be here now in Seattle.”

- Sam Howell

That kind of impression was one that stuck with Howell over the past two seasons. It was one of the reasons why he was so excited to learn about being traded to the Seahawks.

“I was excited. I think once I got the idea that me being traded was a possibility, Seattle was one of those places that I wanted to come be a part of. I'm just super excited to be here and I think Coach Mike's done a great job of starting to build this thing, so this is definitely one of those places that even coming out of the draft I wanted to come to. I just love being in this city. I love being a part of this team and I'm just excited to get to work.”

- Sam Howell

Howell comes to an organization that isn't going to force him to be anything right away. He is the entrenched backup to Geno Smith and will get the opportunity to learn from him as both a starting quarterback and one that has revitalized his career after losing a starting job.

Can Howell find a way to thrive with the Seahawks? It's not out of the question and he's with an organization that will give him a chance to get that development.