RENTON, WA – Once quarterback Sam Howell became aware that he was a potential trade target for the Washington Commanders, he expressed his desire to join the Seattle Seahawks.
“I think once I got the idea that me being traded was a possibility, Seattle was one of those places that I wanted to come be a part of,” Howell stated on Thursday. “I’m just really happy to be here, and I think Coach Mike [Macdonald] did a fantastic job of getting things started. This is absolutely one of those locations that I wanted to come to even as a draft pick. I adore this city so much. I’m thrilled to be a member of our team and I’m
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Howell was sacked a league-high 65 times while passing for 3,946 yards, 21 touchdowns, and a league-high 21 interceptions. Howell attempted a league-high 612 passes, completing 63.4 percent of them.
Howell was acquired by the Seahawks in March after Seattle and Washington exchanged four draft picks. Howell, who started all 17 games for the Washington Commanders last season, will now play a supporting role in Seattle behind Geno Smith, the team’s starting pitcher.
“I think in this league to be able to play, you got to compete and that’s what I’m willing to do no matter what the situation is, no matter who the starter is,” Howell stated
Every day, I come to compete, and I think Geno has been excellent. Geno is an excellent player and I’ve learnt a lot from him. I’m incredibly proud of him for his perseverance and for overcoming all the obstacles he’s faced in his career. I’m eager to work with Geno here so we can both compete and grow from one other every day.”
In a 29-26 loss to the Seahawks in Seattle the previous season, Howell performed admirably. Howell threw three touchdowns on 29 of 44 passes for 312 yards, with no interceptions.
Smith described Howell as a “really, really talented young player” last week. For his age, he had played a lot of football. accomplished a tremendous deal and demonstrated a great deal on video. The starter/backup concept is something I find difficult to comprehend. That group is the subject. The group of quarterbacks needs to function as a cohesive one. The other guys have to encourage whoever enters the game. Therefore, in my opinion, it’s about us both learning from each other, cooperating, and pushing one another forward. That can only give us a fantastic opportunity to improve.”
With Drew Lock, who inked an offseason deal with the New York Giants, Smith used the same strategy for the previous two seasons. When Smith had an injury late in the season against the Philadelphia Eagles and missed a start, Smith was encouraging to Lock.
The dude is Geno, Howell declared. Naturally, I’ve always been an admirer of his. Even from the sidelines, I observe how he conducts business. His dedication to his craft and this squad, as well as the amount of effort he puts in, demonstrate his status as a true professional. He practices daily. You truly don’t know these things until you work side by side with someone. Thus, it’s been enjoyable.
Howell now plays in an offense with a wealth of skill position players, including capable tight ends Noah Fant and Pharaoh Brown, a quality running back in Ken Walker III, and three star receiving options in DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Ryan Grubb, the coordinator, created the offense that this bunch will play in. Over the previous two seasons, Grubb unlocked incredible output from a highly skilled Washington Huskies squad.
According to Howell, a quarterback wants to be a part of this offense.
“I think just how aggressive he is and just how much he wants to push the ball down the field, and that’s kind of similar to what I’ve done in the past and it’s definitely the offense that I feel like I want to play in,” said Howell.
One of the reasons the Seahawks decided against selecting a quarterback in the NFL Draft is their confidence in Howell. They think Howell is a quarterback who is just as skilled as others who would have been available to them later in the selection.
The Seahawks are still early in the offseason as they go through OTAs, but Macdonald is pleased with Howell’s performance thus far.
“I think he’s representative of where we are at as a football team,” Macdonald stated. “Each time we’ve visited, Sam has gotten better. It’s quite thrilling.
“He’s got a great throwing motion. Despite just having one day to review it, he made some excellent selections today in some situational work that was wonderful to watch. Football is a highly intelligent sport. His ability is obviously what is required. There he is. He, in my opinion, reflects our current team dynamic. We can’t wait for Sam.”
