Sam Howell, who was traded to the Minnesota Vikings in April after spending last season as the Seattle Seahawks’ backup quarterback, is on the move again.
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Minnesota traded Howell and a 2027 sixth-round draft pick to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in exchange for a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 seventh-rounder. The Vikings also signed 32-year-old veteran quarterback Carson Wentz to serve as the backup to second-year pro J.J. McCarthy.
Howell, 24, has now been traded three times in the past 18 months.
Howell was a fifth-round pick by the Washington Commanders in 2022. He started all 17 games for the Commanders in 2023, completing 63.4% of his passes for 3946 yards, 21 touchdowns and a league-high 21 interceptions.
The Seahawks acquired Howell in a March 2024 trade with the Commanders. As part of that deal, Seattle gave up a third-round pick and a fifth-rounder in exchange for a fourth-round pick and a sixth-rounder.
As Geno Smith’s backup in Seattle last season, Howell’s only extended action came after Smith went down with an injury in the third quarter of a Week 15 primetime loss to the Green Bay Packers. Howell struggled mightily, completing just 5 of 14 passes for 24 yards and an interception, while also taking four sacks.
In April, the Seahawks traded Howell to the Vikings on the final day of the NFL Draft. The deal included a fifth-round pick swap between the teams.
The trade was no surprise, as Howell didn’t appear to have a future in Seattle after the Seahawks completely remade their quarterback room this spring. After trading Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders in March, Seattle signed Sam Darnold and Drew Lock in free agency and then used a third-round pick on developmental QB Jalen Milroe.
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