SEATTLE — Geno Smith remains the Seahawks’ quarterback of the present.
But the Seahawks added a candidate to be the QB of the future on Thursday, and got a backup for today, pulling off a trade with the Washington Commanders to acquire third-year veteran Sam Howell.
As first reported by ESPN, the Seahawks will receive Howell, a fourth-round pick (102) and a sixth-round pick (179), while Washington will receive a third-round pick (78) and a fifth-round pick (152).
A league source confirmed the trade to The Seattle Times.
Washington, coached by former Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, signed Marcus Mariota on Wednesday and also has the No. 2 pick in the 2024 draft, which it is expected to use on a QB.
Howell, 23, was a fifth-round pick of Washington in 2022 out of North Carolina.
He has a 4-13 record in 17 starts with Washington, all last season. That included a 29-26 loss to the Seahawks at Lumen Field in which he went 29 of 44 for 312 yards and three touchdowns.
He has a salary cap hit of $1.075 million for 2024.
