There's a new quarterback in the Emerald City, as the Seattle Seahawks acquired Sam Howell in a trade with the Washington Commanders on Thursday.
Some may be curious as to the effect Howell's arrival has on Geno Smith, if it has one at all. After all, Howell started all 17 games for Washington last season and threw a league-high 612 passes. Performance aside, Howell has shown some starting ability.
However, Seahawks general manager made it very clear that Smith is still the undisputed starter in Seattle.
"Geno is the guy and Sam will be backing him up," Schneider said, per Bob Condottta of The Seattle Times.
Despite other teams having interest in Howell, as Schneider noted, the former North Carolina star will indeed move back to being a second-string quarterback in 2024.
Last season, Howell completed 63.4 percent of his passes for 3,946 yards with 21 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. Those stats may raise some eyebrows, but it's important to remember that Howell had an insane workload for a first-year starter, all while not having much help around him.
Meanwhile, Smith remains the Seahawks' starter for another go-around. The veteran journeyman took over for perennial Pro Bowler Russell Wilson in 2022 and managed to surpass all expectations, throwing for 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns to earn Comeback Player of the Year honors.
Smith took a bit of a step back in 2023, as he threw for 3,624 yards and 20 touchdowns and missed two games with injury. However, he still played well enough to earn a Pro Bowl nod and for the Seahawks to still believe in him going forward.
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