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The Seattle Seahawks are trading quarterback Sam Howell to the Minnesota Vikings during the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Vikings are trading pick No. 142 to Seattle for Howell and pick No. 172.
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The Seahawks selected quarterback Jalen Milroe in the third round of the draft with the No. 92 overall pick. Now, they're moving on from Howell, who they acquired during last year's NFL Draft.
The Seahawks traded a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick in last year's draft for Howell, a fourth-round pick, and a sixth-round pick. Now, Howell has been traded during the draft for the second consecutive year.
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Howell, 24, was initially a fifth-round pick by the Washington Commanders in 2022. He appeared in one game his rookie year before becoming a full-time starter in his second season. That year, he led the Commanders to a 4-13 record, completing 388 of 612 passes for 3,946 yards with 21 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.
Howell was then traded to the Seahawks, where he appeared in two games last season as a backup, completing 5 of 14 passes for 24 yards with zero touchdowns and one interception.
The Vikings were in the market for a backup quarterback. The team believes in J.J. McCarthy, the No. 10 overall pick in last year's draft, as the starter. However, they wanted to get a backup for him, and did so by getting Howell for a fifth-round pick swap.
The Vikings quarterback room now includes McCarthy, Howell, and veteran signal-caller Brett Rypien.
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As for the Seahawks, they signed former Vikings starting quarterback Sam Darnold to a three-year, $100 million deal this offseason. They also signed veteran quarterback Drew Lock to a two-year, $5 million deal this offseason, completely revamping the quarterback room after trading Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders.
With two veterans in the quarterback room, it was already looking like a tough spot for Howell. Then, they drafted Milroe on Friday, who completed 64.3 percent of his passes for 2,844 yards with 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last year. He added 726 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground.
The Seahawks will feel more than comfortable with Darnold, Lock, and Milroe heading into 2025, while giving Howell a chance to be the top backup behind McCarthy in Minnesota.
For more NFL news and complete coverage of the 2025 NFL Draft, head over to Newsweek Sports.
About the writer
Noah Camras is a Newsweek contributor based in Los Angeles. His focus is on sports content. Noah has been with Newsweek since March ... Read more