The Seahawks made a significant change at quarterback last week, pulling off a surprise trade for Sam Howell of the Commanders. The teams swapped picks as part of the deal. According to one trade value chart, Seattle gave up a seventh-round draft pick. Another says that they gave up a third-rounder, but we’re going to go with the former for mental health’s sake.
Seattle had an opening beneath Geno Smith on their depth chart at quarterback after watching backup Drew Lock sign a one-year deal with the Giants, worth $5 million. Last week when Schneider spoke with ESPN radio, he said the team wanted to bring Lock back, but apparently the Giants sold him on competing for the starting job with Daniel Jones, per Brady Henderson.
More notes from GM John Schneider's latest interview with @WymanAndBob:
He said the Seahawks wanted to re-sign QB Drew Lock but the Giants told him he could compete for their starting job. That's when Seattle turned its focus to the trade market, landing Sam Howell today.
— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) March 15, 2024
You can’t always trust what NFL GMs tell you, but in this case we believe Schneider, at least about wanting to keep Lock around. If it’s true that the Giants did sell Lock on competing with Jones then there’s a real chance he might beat him out for the job.
However, if the original plan was to keep Lock as Geno’s top understudy then Seattle got an upgrade in Howell. While he has much the same skillset, Howell is four years younger than Lock and is now under contract for the next two seasons for a little over $2 million, according to Over the Cap. That’s significantly less than what Lock’s getting just this year alone.
It’s also clear that John Schneider definitely has a type at quarterback. That will be something to watch going forward.
In a vacuum we like the Howell trade but if it prevents the team from using one of their picks in the upcoming 2024 NFL draft on a quarterback prospect then it’s a bust.
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