The Seattle Seahawks acquired quarterback Sam Howell in a trade with the Washington Commanders earlier this offseason, but before the Seahawks made a move on Howell, the Los Angeles Rams apparently tried to acquire him, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL media.
During a recent appearance on the Puck Sports podcast, Garafolo said that the Rams made a push for Howell before he ultimately landed in Seattle.
Garafolo went as far to say that Los Angeles’ coaching staff wanted Howell “badly,” and given Sean McVay’s positive history working with quarterbacks, that does not come as much of a surprise.
Evidently, the Seahawks were willing to go a bit further than the Rams, offering a third-round draft pick and a fifth-rounder to the Commanders in exchange for Howell (Seattle also received a fourth-round pick and a sixth-rounder).
Howell, who played his collegiate football at the University of North Carolina, was selected by Washington in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
He made just one start during his rookie campaign, going 11-for-19 with 169 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
The 23-year-old was named the Commanders’ starter heading into 2023, and this past season, he led the NFL with 21 interceptions. He also threw for 3,946 yards and 23 touchdowns while completing 63.4 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 78.9. In addition, he was sacked 65 times, which also led the league (and not in a good way).
Washington owns the second overall pick in the draft later this month and will almost certainly be taking a signal-caller, so it decided to move on from Howell.
The Rams just weren’t comfortable enough parting with as much draft capital as the Seahawks.
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