The Seattle Seahawks have turned their quarterback room on its head this offseason, and they may not be done wheeling and dealing. The club is open and has received inquiries from other teams interested in trading for backup quarterback Sam Howell, according to ESPN.
General manager John Schneider confirmed Monday that the Seahawks have gotten calls about Howell.
“That’s accurate,” he said. “We have a great relationship with his agent. He has a ton of contacts as well. It’s an open dialogue.”
This comes off the heels of a seismic offseason for the position in Seattle. Last month, the Seahawks traded starter Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders and turned around to sign Sam Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million deal in free agency. The club also recently signed veteran Drew Lock to bolster the position group, creating a surplus with Jaren Hall also on the roster.
So, that makes it four quarterbacks currently on the Seattle roster, and that will almost certainly be whittled down. Last season, under head coach Mike Macdonald, the club finished the year with three quarterbacks on the roster. Meanwhile, new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak kept three quarterbacks on his roster when serving as the offensive coordinator in Minnesota and New Orleans. In the prior regime under Pete Carroll, they routinely had two quarterbacks.
That could result in Howell being the odd man out, especially if Seattle can fetch a return for him on the trade market.
Last offseason, the Seahawks traded for Howell in a deal with the Washington Commanders. Seattle shipped out a 2024 third- and fifth-round pick in exchange for Howell, a 2024 fourth and sixth-round selection.
Here are a few potential landing spots for Howell.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers currently have the NFL’s most in-flux quarterback situation. Unless and until Aaron Rodgers signs a contract with Pittsburgh, its only quarterbacks are Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson. That’s … not ideal. Neither is Howell, obviously, but he at least has a higher floor than Thompson and a higher ceiling than Rudolph.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikes have expressed interest in finding a veteran backup for J.J. McCarthy. Howell may or may not qualify as a veteran, heading into his fourth NFL season. But the only other quarterback behind McCarthy at the moment is Brett Rypien, and Howell probably qualifies as an upgrade there.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Kyle Trask is Baker Mayfield’s primary backup. The Bucs have liked him ever since they drafted him behind Tom Brady, but if they want another option, they could do worse than Howell.
