Seahawks open QB space, trade Howell to Vikes

The Seahawks have traded quarterback Sam Howell to the Vikings, Minnesota announced Saturday.

The Vikings traded pick No. 142 in the fifth round (defensive tackle Rylie Mills) to the Seahawks in exchange for Howell and pick No. 172 in the fifth round.

Howell now becomes the likely backup to quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The Vikings also have quarterback Brett Rypien under contract.

A trade had seemed likely after the Seahawks signed Drew Lock as the presumed No. 2 behind starter Sam Darnold earlier this month. It then seemed inevitable once they drafted Jalen Milroe in the third round Friday night.

With former Viking Jaren Hall also in the mix, taking Milroe with the 92nd overall pick gave Seattle five quarterbacks.

"We were really pleased with Sam in his time here," Seahawks assistant general manager Nolan Teasley said Saturday. "What happened yesterday probably had some impact on that. We wish him the best and we're really appreciative of the work that he put in while he was here. But just in terms of an opportunity that's best for him moving forward and what's best for the organization, it came together."

Vikings senior vice president of player personnel Ryan Grigson noted that Howell started all 17 games for the Washington Commanders in 2023 and is only 24 years old.

"It's an opportunity that is not usually that easy to come by when you have that type of youth and that type of experience," Grigson said.

McCarthy opened the Vikings' offseason program last week with no limitations from the torn right meniscus he suffered during the 2024 preseason that caused him to miss his entire rookie year. The Vikings have stopped short of naming McCarthy their starter for 2025, but general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said last month that it's "the outcome we want" and "the outcome we're headed towards."

The Vikings bid farewell to three quarterbacks who were on their roster last season -- Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones and Nick Mullens -- although they had hoped to sign Jones as McCarthy's likely backup. Jones decided instead to sign with the Indianapolis Colts, in part on the assumption that McCarthy would almost certainly be the Vikings' starter.

That led the Vikings to spend several days in serious internal discussions about the possibility of signing free agent Aaron Rodgers, who had expressed interest during a phone call with coach Kevin O'Connell. Ultimately, the Vikings decided to put those talks on hold and allow McCarthy to maximize the team's reps during offseason practices.

O'Connell said last week that the team had a "pretty detailed plan" for adding depth behind and around McCarthy and Rypien and mentioned the possibility of a trade. Howell came relatively cheaply, as the pick swap simply required the Vikings to move down 30 spots in the fifth round.

Drafting Milroe and trading Howell continues the remake of the Seahawks' quarterback room. They traded starter Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders in March before signing Darnold as his replacement, giving the former No. 2 overall pick a three-year, $100.5 million contract on the heels of his Pro Bowl season with the Vikings. Seattle then signed Lock to a two-year, $5 million deal, bringing back Smith's former backup to fill the same role behind Darnold.

Seattle acquired Howell in a March 2024 trade with the Commanders, giving up third- and fifth-round selections for the quarterback and picks in the fourth and sixth rounds. The Seahawks beat out three other teams who were also negotiating with the Commanders, a source told ESPN at the time.

Howell struggled badly in a relief appearance for then-Seahawks starter Geno Smith in December. After Smith hurt his knee midway through the third quarter of a 30-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers, Howell completed 5 of 14 attempts for 24 yards and an interception.

"We were really pleased with Sam in his time here," Seahawks assistant general manager Nolan Teasley said Saturday. "What happened yesterday [drafting Milroe] probably had some impact on that. We wish him the best and we're really appreciative of the work that he put in while he was here. But just in terms of an opportunity that's best for him moving forward and what's best for the organization, it came together."

A fifth-round pick by Washington in 2022, Howell threw for 21 touchdowns and a league-high 21 interceptions in 2023. He also led the NFL with 612 attempts, completing 63.4% of them while throwing for 3,946 yards. The Commanders went 4-13, traded Howell to Seattle and drafted Jayden Daniels second overall.