New Seahawks QB Sam Howell describes trade, his role and more

The Seattle Seahawks have a new backup quarterback on the roster, and it’s certainly an intriguing name.

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Seattle recently acquired Sam Howell, who started all 17 games for the Washington Commanders last season, to come sit behind and learn from Geno Smith.

Howell now gets a fresh start in Seattle, and it’s something he’s excited about, as he shared with Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk Wednesday morning.

“A couple of days before the trade was announced, I kind of knew that (the Commanders) were kind of listening to trade offers,” Howell said. “The GM in Washington, Adam Peters, was very good to me and kind of kept me in the loop the whole time. And Adam knew that Seattle was a place that I was interested in going to.”

“Adam just kind of told me at the end of the day it came down to Seattle wanted me more than anybody else. And I’m happy with it. I’m happy to be a Seahawk,” Howell later said.

So why was Howell interested in joining the Seahawks?

“We played there last year. I love the organization,” he said, “I’ve heard a lot of really good things about the organization. It’s a really fun place to play. And I spent a few days in city last year when we played out there and it seemed like a cool place to be and I’m really excited for a fresh start. And the opportunity to be behind Geno, I have a lot of respect for Geno, so I’m really excited about it.”

It’s been made clear that Howell isn’t coming to Seattle to compete for Smith’s job, and that’s something he noted to Brock and Salk.

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“Obviously Geno’s still the guy and I’m gonna try to do everything I can to just come in and work and just try to get better,” Howell said. “And it’s got to be a good teammate and support Geno and do whatever I can to help the team win. But at the same time, always trying to compete and every single time I step out on the field, I’m always trying to show these guys what I can do and what I’m capable of.”

“I thought I did some good things last year and definitely showed some ability to play in this league. I’m very thankful to (Seahawks general manager John Schneider) for reaching out and giving me this opportunity,” Howell later said.

Howell, a fourth-round pick in 2022, passed for just under 4,000 yards last year with 21 touchdowns in 17 starts, but he also threw more interceptions and took more sacks than any quarterback in football.

“Obviously the interceptions, I’ve just got to do a better job,” he said. “There were some times where we were down in some games and I was just trying to be a little aggressive and at times maybe just tried to do a little too much, trying to give us a chance. But I’ve got to be smarter, got to play smarter football, got to play winning football. And at times I was doing it, so just doing it at a more consistent rate. And I feel confident about my ability to do that. It’s just a matter of if I get an opportunity I’ve got to go out there and show it.”

Listen to Brock and Salk’s full interview with new Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell at this link or in the player near the top of this story.

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