Seattle Seahawks GM John Schneider Details How Aaron Rodgers Led to Sam Howell Trade

During an appearance on NFL Network's The Insiders, Seahawks general manager John Schneider discussed how dealing for Sam Howell was intertwined with Aaron Rodgers.

Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider talks to the media at the 2024 NFL Combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Seattle Seahawks needed a backup quarterback to Geno Smith going into the 2024 season after their previous backup Drew Lock signed a one-year deal with the New York Giants during free agency, leaving the team with a gaping hole at the most important position in sports.

There was some discussion early on whether or not the Seahawks could take a quarterback of the future to replace Smith within the next couple of years in the 2024 NFL Draft, but they weren't able to go that route picking 16th overall. Over a month before the draft kicked off, they struck a trade with the Commanders for quarterback Sam Howell in a pick swap.

It came as a surprise to some to see the Seahawks trade for Howell, but when the draft came, all of the top six quarterbacks were gone in the first 11 picks, so it ended up being good foresight. General manager John Schneider referenced that during an appearance on NFL Network's The Insiders on Thursday.

"From an acquisition standpoint, I give our staff a ton of credit. We sat here on a Saturday afternoon studying and we were going through the board and we were kind of like wow. There's sort of a situation where six of these quarterbacks could go before we pick."

- John Schneider

Schneider and the Seahawks ended up being right. Among several of the reasons why they targeted Howell, he had started 18 games in his two-year career, including one against the Seahawks last November where he was really impressive with three touchdown passes in defeat.

"It was at that point where we started to get really aggressive with the Redskins (Commanders) and worked with Adam Peters to try to acquire Sam and we knew we were competing with other teams. Sam had a great game against us last year. He's an impressive guy who worked his tail off and obviously, Geno's done a great job as well. We really like the two of these guys, really liked Sam's upside a lot. He started 18 games and has been a productive player in this league and we like his toughness and his swag. He's got a cool leadership style about him as well. Quiet and strong."

- John Schneider

The process of getting Howell and working the board is something that Schneider and many general managers do each year, making sure they are prepared for any possible outcome. Specifically, he shared a story about his time with the Packers where they used the same process and it landed them Aaron Rodgers.

"Yeah, we thought there was a good chance. You know, it was honestly us. It was kind of an exercise. Much like you know, we did with John Dorsey and Reggie McKenzie and Ted back in Green Bay. That was closer to the draft, but there's a chance Aaron Rodgers could make it to us. And, if he's not picked right away, that'd be like four or five teams and we just did all these different exercises to go through it and so it was very similar to that experience that we had together in Green Bay. Both guys were at the end of the day, they were all hot. We had a great visit with Bo. Obviously knew Michael Penix real well. JJ McCarthy. So we had a great feel for all these guys. And we were like 'well, we like them, everyone else will like them too.' So we better get out of here."

- John Schneider

Good process will lead to good results. Will that happen with Howell in Seattle? At the very least, he's one of the best backups in the NFL right now, and in time, the organization may have a long-term starter if Smith isn't deemed the answer beyond 2024.