It looks like there can only be one Sam in the Seattle Seahawks quarterback room. The Seahawks landed a new starting quarterback in Sam Darnold during free agency, while trading away last year’s starter, Geno Smith, to the Las Vegas Raiders.
However, they are not done yet. Backup quarterback Sam Howell will likely depart as the Seahawks have made it clear he is available for trade. The fourth-year quarterback has scored 28 touchdowns in his NFL career so far.
NFL Insider Reports That the Seattle Seahawks Are Looking To Move Backup Quarterback Sam Howell
ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler was the first to report the news. He wrote the following on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Friday:
“The #Seahawks are open to trading QB Sam Howell and have received inquiries from teams, sources told @BradyHenderson and me.”
The #Seahawks are open to trading QB Sam Howell and have received inquiries from teams, sources told @BradyHenderson and me. https://t.co/IDSAILLaxd
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) April 19, 2025
The Seahawks currently have four quarterbacks on the roster, and it appears they prefer Drew Lock and Jaren Hall as the backups instead of Sam Howell. Lock returned to the Seahawks with a two-year, $5 million deal to back up Sam Darnold, while Jaren Hall was a fifth-round pick in 2023 by the Minnesota Vikings. He was eventually added to the Seahawks’ practice squad after being waived by the Vikings.
Despite just being 24 years old, Howell will now likely be heading to his third team in three years. He was the starting quarterback for the Washington Football Team in 2023, starting all 17 games. However, they went 4-13 with Howell throwing 21 interceptions along with 21 touchdowns. That led to the firing of head coach Ron Rivera, and Howell was traded to the Seahawks last offseason for a pair of mid-round pick swaps. He came in for a few plays in two games last season, throwing for 24 yards and 1 interception.
The Seahawks’ offense will look very different under head coach Mike Macdonald’s second year. In addition to the quarterback change from Geno Smith to Sam Darnold, they also traded away 2-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a second-round pick.
Veteran wide receiver Tyler Lockett was also released after ten seasons with the team. The team then added Marquez Valdez-Scantling and Cooper Kupp to the wide receiver room with Pro Bowler Jaxson Smith-Njigba.
Seahawks Could Add a Quarterback in the NFL Draft
The Seahawks are also a candidate to add a quarterback in the middle rounds of the upcoming NFL draft. In his seven-round mock draft, Pro Football Network’s Jacob Infante has the Seattle Seahawks selecting Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord with the 137th pick in the fourth round. McCord led college football last season with the most passing yards.