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The Minnesota Vikings have made a move to beef up their quarterback depth chart on Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft by making a Sam Howell trade with the Seattle Seahawks.
“Vikings news: Minnesota acquires Sam Howell in draft day trade with Seahawks,” NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported on Saturday.
Howell was a fifth-round pick of the Washington Commanders out of North Carolina in the 2022 NFL Draft and spent one season in Seattle. He now joins 2024 first-round selection JJ McCarthy and backup Brett Rypien on the Vikings.
The former Tar Heel did get a chance to start in the NFL during his second season in 2023. That year, he started 17 games for the Commanders, attempting more passes (612) than any other QB in the NFL that season. Ultimately, he threw for 3,946 yards and 21 touchdowns, but he also led the league with 21 interceptions. While that's not good, some of it was definitely due to his also-league-leading 65 sacks.
Howell joins a QB room that seems to be built to support the development of the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. McCarthy.
The former Michigan signal-caller missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury and, despite his overall success, the Vikings let Sam Darnold go this offseason to clear the way for McCarthy.
That said, this Sam Howell trade the Vikings made with the Seahawks is the first small sign that Minnesota might be putting a Plan B in place in case McCarthy isn't good right out of the gates or he gets hurt again. Howell is in the mold of Darnold in that he hasn't had success in the NFL yet, but he does have some experience and the traits that could make him at least a passable NFL QB.
Now, he is in a spot where he will likely serve as a mentor to another young passer, but where he also needs to be ready to go if things don't work out.
That is better than his situation in Seattle, where the Seahawks brought in Darnold this offseason and drafted developmental QB Jalen Milroe in Round 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft.
