Seahawks open to trading backup QB

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Brady Henderson, Seattle is open to trading Howell and has received some inquiries from teams interested in acquiring him. General manager John Schneider claimed that the team is prepared to have Lock and Howell compete for the QB2 job behind Darnold, but if they know Lock has familiarity with the roster, it could be smart to pursue some additional draft capital in exchange for Howell.

Howell was brought in after his first and only full season starting in Washington. The Commanders went 4-13 with Howell as a starter, and, while he threw for 21 touchdowns, he failed to amass 4,000 passing yards despite leading the NFL in pass attempts. He also had league-leading numbers in interceptions (21) and sacks (65). After arriving in Seattle, Howell had a rough offseason. When he was asked to step in for an injured Smith in a Week 15 loss to the Packers, Howell had a rough outing, completing only five of 14 pass attempts for 24 yards and an interception.

Schneider backed Howell, claiming the young quarterback “was put in a very hard spot” and that the team has “four guys that (they) really like.” That could be totally true, and they may be completely willing to head into the offseason with four quarterbacks. Those statements could also be Schneider’s attempts to inflate Howell’s trade value a bit, making him appear less expendable than he is.

The Seahawks already have 10 draft picks (eight in the first five rounds), so they may not exactly need any more draft capital. Still, if they were able to package Howell with some picks, they may be able to move around a bit in this year’s draft with some increased maneuverability.