The Seattle Seahawks already had a full quarterback room entering the 2025 NFL draft, before they chose Jalen Milroe in the third round. New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak does have a history of keeping three quarterbacks on his roster, but that still meant bad news for Howell.
Ahead of the draft, after Seattle signed free agent Drew Lock, general manager John Schneider said the team would still be open to taking a quarterback in the 2025 NFL draft. No one knew precisely how early that might come, though. A Day 3 might have made sense, but Schneider did not wait that long.
Ultimately, the Seahawks moved Howell to the Minnesota Vikings in a swap of Sams. Vikings QB1 in 2024, Sam Darnold, signed with Seattle this offseason and will be the Seahawks' starter in 2025. Howell will continue being what he was in Seattle with Minnesota: A backup.
Seahawks trade quarterback Sam Howell to the Minnesota Vikings
While Seattle did not get much back for Howell, simply not having him on the roster is good enough. Seattle and Minnesota did nothing more than swap draft picks, other than Howell being involved. The Vikings sent pick 142 to Seattle, and Minnesota received pick 172. There will be little savings for Seattle, either.
Howell was only due $1.1 million in 2025, and none of that was guaranteed. The pick Seattle chose, which turned out to be defensive tackle Rylie Mills of Notre Dame, will be due as much as Howell. Of course, the hope is that Mills will be more productive than Howell ever was.
Ultimately, the Seahawks shed an unneeded player who, in limited snaps in 2024, proved he would never become the team's QB1. He was lousy and too much of a gunslinger to be a good fit in Klint Kubiak's system. He is going to a good place, though.
Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell is a wise offensive coach and might turn Howell into a good player. That will be great for his future. It just will never help him with the Seahawks.