With Marcus Mariota in place for the Commanders, Sam Howell will indeed be playing elsewhere in 2024. The latter quarterback has been traded to the Seahawks, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. 
Washington will send Howell along with a fourth- and sixth-round pick to Seattle. In return, the Seahawks will send a third- and fifth-round pick. All selections are in the upcoming draft. Mariota’s free agent signing suggested the Commanders would pair him with a rookie selected second overall in April. Doing so would have left Howell on the outside looking in, leading to questions about his future in the nation’s capital.
The Seahawks have (in incremental fashion) committed to veteran Geno Smith as their starter for 2024. The former Comeback Player of the Year earned a new deal last offseason as Seattle’s undisputed starter despite the presence of Drew Lock, a piece of the Russell Wilson trade. Smith will hold down first-team duties again this year, but he will have a new backup in place.
Lock took a one-year deal with the Giants, leaving Seattle in need of a QB2. Howell served that role for all but one week of his rookie year in 2022, but his play to close out the regular season informed the decision to release Carson Wentz. Then-head coach Ron Rivera showed confidence in Howell as the Commanders’ starter this past year, but that decision did not yield the desired results. The 23-year-old led the NFL in sacks taken and interceptions, seeing himself lifted mid-game on more than one occasion late in the campaign.
Still, Howell could profile as an option with some upside. The former fifth-rounder led the NFL in passing yards at one point during the 2023 campaign, one in which Washington fielded a less-than-stellar offensive line and posted a 4-13 record amidst struggles on defense. Rivera was fired, as expected, after the end of the season and Dan Quinn has been brought in to replace him. He and new general manager Adam Peters comprise a different regime than the one which drafted Howell, and they will now commit to whichever passer is added with the second overall pick in April.
Drake Maye – who replaced Howell as the starter at North Carolina – is one of the options Washington will likely have at No. 2 (with Caleb Williams presumed to be hear his name called first). LSU’s Jayden Daniels could also be the Commanders’ selection, but in any case the rookie passer will be positioned as a starter for the present and future given Mariota’s status as a backup during much of his post-Titans career. As a result of this deal, the Commanders will now own six of the top 100 picks in the upcoming draft.
Seattle, meanwhile, will have a Lock replacement on the books for at least two more years given the term remaining on Howell’s rookie pact. Smith is also under contract through 2025, but none of his base salary for that season is guaranteed. The Seahawks may have acquired the 33-year-old’s eventual replacement.
Bears screwed themselves. Mac Jones worth a 6th. Sam Howell worth two pick swaps. The Justin Fields market has cratered.
Or maybe it always was cratered and some people were just overly optimistic. But at this point, Fields’ best market might be once the draft is underway and a couple of teams find out they missed out on their top few guys.
Agree. The QB market is drying up. Personally, I would have made that trade for Fields with that return. Now, it obviously takes two sides to make a deal. Maybe Seattle wasn’t interested. Could it be that Poles really doesn’t know what to do yet with the QB situation? It’s going be interesting to see how this eventually plays out.
I think Chicago is taking Williams regardless. Fields was always a tricky fit for Seattle, because his fifth year option has to be decided this off-season, and Seattle is pretty committed to Geno for this year.
I’ve been sort of suspicious that the Ravens would swoop in after, or perhaps even during, the draft and offer some low end pick for Fields to use him as a backup. Some other team may do so, but there’s a good chance that most teams are going to wait and see how the draft shakes out first. Even if those teams don’t pick backups or second stringers there, some team that does is likely to cut a guy that may fill that role. If that happens, and a team still needs a backup and likes Fields’ fit, the Bears might get a low end offer.
If not, then Chicago may end up just keeping Fields. The question at this point is how willing the Bears are to retain him-are they wanting a trade just to get some value, or is it because they actively just don’t want Fields around? If it’s the latter, they’ll take what they can get, which may not happen until after the draft. If it’s the former, then they’ll have to weigh how much they’ll have to spend, pick or cap-wise, on a backup and if they could get the same value by just keeping Fields.
I was thinking Raiders all along but admittedly, they’re a mystery to me
and have been for years
This is simply NFL Drama.
Do you honestly think that Mark Davis is going to head into the season with a rookie HC, a GM in training, and Gardner Minshew as the Headline Act in Las Vegas? Especially after his last effort for high profile success failed so bad it left such a vile taste in everyone’s mouth no amount of Listerine can cure.
Justin Fields to the Raiders in a pre-draft day buzz announcement. We are talking pre-trade Eli Manning without the crying, Micheal Vick and LaDanian Tomlinson type hype.
Minshew made the Pro Bowl and is better than Fields. The Raiders are set at QB
Better than Fields? No. But he’s a fine starter for a bad franchise like LV. Better than jumping for McCarthy.
I’m not sure why anyone thinks Fields is a good QB. He keeps leading his team to top ten draft choices.
Never said he was ‘good’. But calling Minshew better is wrong. You could have Mahomes on the Bears they’d still suck. It’s the Bears…
Fields on the Chiefs, and they would be drafting in the top 10. He is not a good thrower of the football, which is a bad quality for an NFL QB.
Probably. As they would be with Minshew…. So back to square 1 here what’re we trying to prove?
I think we proved that neither QB is going to move the needle for any franchise, and trying to determine which third rate QB is better is probably a useless exercise.
100% agree.
I’m skeptical that Howell can play under control and cut down on taking sacks enough to ever be a good starter, but this is a worthwhile flyer on a backup with a bit of upside who you don’t mind spot starting. A fitting Drew Lock replacement.
I am not an expert on the Commanders by a wide margin, but could his getting sacked and interception rate be a product of poor line play and/or his receivers getting very little separation? If so, maybe Sam still has a future as a starter. I would like to know from Commanders fans and other avid knowledgeable observers. I think we often judge players, especially quarterbacks, too quickly. It takes time to develop into a productive NFL player, especially at quarterback.
He had a bad line, but sacks have a lot to do with QB play, and you can see it in him. He got sacked a ton in college too.
He got sacked a lot, but his pocket usually collapsed quick.
Had new complicated offense that he ran well. He and Brissett both had to learn new offense, but Sam noticeably out-performed Brissett in pre-season which tells me he is football smart. Bienemy called plays like a game of Madden, which didn’t help, no running game, bad defense, always playing from behind and yet still had as good or better season statistcally then a lot of 1st round QB’s. Wheels fell off a little toward the end of the season after he had been sacked a ton.
I think they may have gotten rid of him to not allow it become a future locker room distraction because he had the support of his team mates.
He will go on to be anywhere from a decent starter to tier 1 backup.
I tend to agree with you, JlksW. To Oof’s point, issues rarely “magically disappear” simply by moving to a new team, but I thought that Howell had a better potential future than what the Commanders offered. Now, is Seattle’s new college style coordinator going to provide enough guidance for Howell to develop on the pro level? That may be a challenge. I doubt that Seattle is going all in on a newly acquired second year player, though, so I don’t expect them to be finished adding if they have an opportunity to do so.
In my mind, Howell’s situation is improving by virtue of going to a more stable organization (despite the coaching change) and by having two great receivers, but otherwise the Seattle offense is still a bit in flux. I would have liked to have seen him with a more veteran-or rather, proven-offensive staff (I thought Denver may have a great choice to acquire a quarterback with potential on the cheap to pair with Payton), but I do think that he at least offers a chance at performing well. He already does some veteran things on a limited basis that many young QBs simply don’t that are sort of minimum requirements for at least having the chance to be good. I really don’t know if Seattle’s current staff will be good or bad, or if the college generated offense will help Howell, but the organization at least has two good receivers to offer.
As goes with other teams that’ve changed coaching and front office.
The great ‘what’re they gonna do & be’ has hit multiple teams. I’ve lowered my expectations for the team I follow, just glad there’s hockey for now.
Howell game has room to grow. Good move for Seattle
And the Josh Harris group was suppose to be so much smarter than Snyder…hmmm
I was told very seriously that Howell was a top 5 QB last year. (On this very site)
Statistically he was until week 10 or 11.
67 sacks
57 knocks
39 hurries
2.4 pocket time in seconds
Dude didn’t stand a chance behind that oline. Nobody would be a top 5 QB with that oline last year.
There’s a reason Biadiasz and Allegretti were brought in this off season (that interior of Washington oline was atrocious).
Shocking! For 2023 season, he didn’t throw more INT than TD (both at 21).
Bears asked for too much from the Seahawks and they told them to pound sand. Getting Howell and 2 picks back has to look like a great deal by Schneider and the Bears are left holding a bag of poop that’s on fire.
Ok genius.
Bears asked at all. Seahawks prefer Howell over Fields and never asked the Bears anything about Fields.
Great trade for Seattle
I agree except for the third round pick. That’s a gold mine for sleeper WRs
Hawks had (2) 3rd round picks and getting back a 4th round eases the pain a little. Seattle is almost now guaranteed to trade back in the 1st to try to get back into the 2nd round.
For the love of God, someone please take Justin Fields.
It’s honestly starting to feel like the league is conspiring against Fields/the Bears.
Locally, here in Chicago, there is a divisiveness amongst Bears fans, sports media and even within the Bears organization between retaining incumbent QB Justin Fields or trading him away to make room for Williams. The longer Fields remains on the roster, the more contentious these debates may spread throughout. Could it be the Commanders are accumulating draft talent to assemble a formidable package in an attempt to trade for Chicago’s top pick?
You can’t have both QBs on the roster, will be too devisive in the locker room and for the fan base. Waldron just signed Rypien as a backup because he knows the system. Fields is going to go, but I think that 5th year option is the biggest problem. No team wants to take that on at this point if you’re not sure he’s your long term starter.
He just isn’t good. That isn’t a conspiracy. Only Bears fans think Fields is an awesome QB worth two first rounders who happens to be on the worst team in the NFL. If the worst team in the league doesn’t want him, why would any other team?
I know he isn’t good. That’s why I want him traded. But he’s certainly much better than a lot of the QBs who have been signed over the past week. Nobody is expecting two first round picks for Fields. I’ll be happy with a third at this point.
Whose hand was just shown? I have to believe that the Commanders want Caleb Williams and have somehow agreed to a deal with the Bears to move up a spot. Either the Bears are taking MHjr or Williams camp has made it clear his desire to be in Washington.
I’m pretty sure Washington will be drafting their choice of non-Williams QBs and wanted to get something for Howell since they wanted (and signed) a veteran backup for the rookie.
That’s possible. Who knows? Deals and agreements are often made under the table and behind the scenes. For now it’s a mystery wrapped in a riddle tied in an enigma.
I think it’s more like a most likely outcome wrapped in some wishful fan overthinking.
Sorry Sam, I wish you all the luck buddy.
Final nail in the coffin for fields. Part of me pictured fields competing with Geno in training camp but now it’s a wrap. If raiders don’t take him it’s over with
Was hoping he’d go to MIN instead of Darnold. Would’ve been setup with some great options there.
Justin Fields cost the Bears $6M this year and they can choose not to pick up his option in May. That’s the value of a back QBs salary. They can take Williams and Fields can’t sit out unless he wants to be fined and further diminish his value going forward. If the Bears chose to trade down and Washington gets leaped by a team that takes Williams..Commanders fans will not be happy.
The Steelers should offer a 6th round pick for Fields.
Throw him, Pickett and Wilson into the pool and see who swims.
Bears were never trading Fields…the media has been trading Fields for months. The fans have been trading him for even longer, but Justin Fields is QB1 for the Bears for the foreseeable future. Like and believe it or not!
Foreseeable future = April 25th
Chicago might just do something that surprises the entire NFL community at #1
They’re trading it and D.J. Moore for Bryce Young
Wouldn’t surprise
I still think it’s a good chance they trade that pick.
Interesting to consider if it is the contract situation or the talent evaluation that is keeping Fields in Chicago.
It’s the talent level combined with the contract situation. If the talent level was there, the contract wouldn’t be an issue. P.S. Everything is political!
If the talent level was there, he wouldn’t be on the trade block.
Same story, 100 verse…… we got screwed!
Cowboys send Dak to Denver for 2 first rounders and a forth. They trade the 4th for Fields. They cut Lance.
Still hard to tell I suppose, but any idea how much cap money Washington has left?
The Commanders have $68.5 million in total cap space and $58.6 million in effective cap space.