The Seattle Seahawks are acquiring quarterback Sam Howell in a trade with the Washington Commanders, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Thursday.
In exchange for picks in the third (No. 78) and fifth (No. 152) rounds, Seattle will receive Howell, a fourth-round pick (102nd overall) and a sixth-rounder (No. 179), sources said. Schefter. The third-rounder the Seahawks are giving up is their own pick — they got an extra pick in the third round in a trade with the Denver Broncos last April.
A trade for Howell, who started last season for Washington, solidifies the Seahawks' quarterback depth after Drew Lock agreed to sign in free agency with the New York Giants — and could mean competition for Geno Smith for the No. 1 job.
Smith and Howell are the only two quarterbacks on Seattle's roster.
Howell has two years and $2.085 million remaining on the new contract he signed with Washington in 2022 as a fifth-round pick out of North Carolina. The Seahawks don't have a second-round pick this year, limiting their options for a quarterback draft. After the trade for Howell, they had a first-round pick (No. 16 overall), a third, two fourth, two sixth and seventh.
Howell started all 17 games last season, throwing an NFL-high 612 passes. He finished with the 12th most yards in the NFL with 3,946. He threw 21 touchdowns and 21 interceptions and was sacked an NFL-high 65 times.
Howell made a midseason breakthrough, and after 10 games, led the NFL in passing yards (2,783) and was fifth in touchdowns (17). But over his last seven games, Howell threw just four touchdown passes and was intercepted 12 times as the Generals lost eight in a row.
Howell started one game in 2022, leading Washington to a 26–6 season-ending victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Shortly after the season ended, then-Washington coach Ron Rivera named Howell the starter entering the offseason. He retained the job over veteran Jacoby Brissett.
The Chiefs signed Marcus Mariota in free agency and own the No. 2 pick in the draft, and are expected to select a quarterback. The Chiefs now have six in the top 100 and seven in the top 102.
ESPN's John Keim contributed to this report.
