Sam Howell. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Seahawks complete another trade involving a QB

By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated Apr 26, 2025 2:53 PM ET

The Seattle Seahawks have made some significant moves at the quarterback position this offseason, and they traded away another signal-caller during the NFL Draft.

Veteran quarterback Sam Howell was traded from the Seahawks to the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday, according to multiple reports. The teams swapped fifth-round draft picks in the deal.

The #Vikings are trading for QB Sam Howell, as the Seahawks and MIN swaps picks 142 and 172.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 26, 2025

The Vikings are fully committed to J.J. McCarthy, but the former Michigan star is coming off a major knee injury and has never appeared in an NFL regular-season game. The only other quarterback Minnesota had under contract prior to the trade was Brett Rypien, so Howell will give the team a far more proven backup.

Howell made one relief appearance for the Seahawks last season after Geno Smith got hurt. He completed 5-of-14 passes for 24 yards and an interception.

Howell started all 17 games for the Washington Commanders in 2022. While his performance was inconsistent (3,946 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and 21 interceptions), he has a significant amount of starting experience and is only 24.

The Seahawks signed Sam Darnold to a three-year, $100.5M contract this offseason. They also traded Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders, so they have completely revamped their quarterback room.

Steve DelVecchio

Steve is a veteran writer who has covered a variety of sports and pop culture topics for more than 15 years. In addition to Yardbarker, his work has been featured on prominent digital publications including Larry Brown Sports, MSN and FOX Sports. The UConn graduate has published more than 40,000 stories and is one of the most experienced trending news writers in the country

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