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The Washington Commanders are in the midst of a major restructuring. The team, which finished in last place in the NFC East, is rearranging its pieces to fight in the 2024 season, and to do so, they have had to make some sacrifices, starting with quarterback Sam Howell.
Howell was one of the major prospects in the 2022 Draft. However, his career started on the wrong foot. Some analysts considered Howell material for a first-round or early second-round pick; nevertheless, he slipped to the fifth round, in 144th place.
Since then, his professional career has been faltering, with just one game started in his rookie year and fairly average numbers in his second season: 4,115 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions on 388 completions of 612 attempts.
Howell's future already looked complicated, and to make it even darker, the team signed veteran Marcus Mariota this week, and experts expect it to use its first pick in the 2024 draft, the second overall, on a quarterback.
The deal for Howell
Amid this panorama, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported today that the Commanders reached a deal with the Seattle Seahawks to transfer Howell and two late picks for this draft in exchange for two earlier picks.
According to Pelissero, in addition to Howell, Washington would give up its fourth-round and sixth-round picks, 102nd and 179th overall, in exchange for Seattle's third- and fifth-round picks, 78th and 152nd overall.
Howell's departure was practically guaranteed after the firing of head coach Ron Rivera, his biggest er on the team, and the arrival of Dan Quinn at the helm.
Howell's situation in the Seahawks
The North Carolina product will have an interesting environment in Seattle. In principle, he would be a backup for veteran Geno Smith, who has two years left on his contract. Although he has had two good years in Seattle, Smith is already a 12-year veteran.
Howell would be in an ideal situation, as he would have time to mature under Smith's mentoring. In turn, the Seahawks could gain a good quarterback down the road, but if he doesn't show growth along this time, they could just cut him when it suits them best.