The Philadelphia Eagles have reportedly acquired quarterback Sam Howell in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings.
Howell, who formerly played for the Eagles' NFC East rival Washington Commanders, had only been in Minnesota since April, when he was traded by the Seattle Seahawks.
“Trade! The #Vikings are trading QB Sam Howell to the #Eagles, per me and @TomPelissero,” NFL insider Ian Rapoport posted on X, formerly Twitter.
“It’s a 5th in 2026 and 7th in 2027 to MIN, while PHI [gets] Howell and 6th in 2026. Minnesota, which recently hosted Carson Wentz on a visit, now has a QB opening. And Philly gets more QB depth.”
The Eagles' backup quarterback, Tanner McKee, injured his finger during practice earlier in the week, calling into question his availability for Philadelphia's season opener on Sept. 4 vs. the Dallas Cowboys.
Unlike McKee, who has played just twice and started one game in two years in the NFL, Howell has plenty of experience as a starter if Jalen Hurts were to go down with an injury. Howell started one game as a rookie in 2022 before becoming the Commanders' full-time starter the following season.
In 2023, while starting every game for Washington, Howell threw the most passes (612) and interceptions (21) of any quarterback in the league as the Commanders sank to a 4-13 record. In total, Howell had nearly 4,000 yards and 21 touchdowns through the air and 263 yards and 5 touchdowns on the ground.
Following the season, as part of an overhaul, Howell was traded by the Commanders to the Seattle Seahawks, with whom he was Geno Smith's backup. In two appearances, Howell threw 14 passes, on of which was an interception. This past April, during the NFL Draft, Howell was again traded, this time from Seattle to Minnesota, where he was expected to back up second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who missed the entirety of his rookie season due to injury.
Now, Howell will likely back up Hurts, the reigning Super Bowl MVP.
