There may be some finality to the Minnesota Vikings‘ backup quarterback situation. On Saturday, Minnesota sent pick 142 to the Seattle Seahawks for pick 172 and Sam Howell, who will likely be the Vikings’ backup to J.J. McCarthy.
Howell is entering his fourth year, but he started 18 games in two seasons with the Washington Commanders. He threw for 4,115 yards and 22 touchdowns in those games, but also tossed 22 interceptions. Still, he’s only 25 and can learn behind McCarthy while providing a capable skillset to come in as needed.
Kevin O’Connell joined NFL Network’s draft coverage on Saturday, and host Rich Eisen asked the coach to give his thoughts on the move.
…Bringing in Sam Howell today was a great move by Kwesi to not have to lose any future picks and really kind of make a move within the draft and find the value enough to get Sam Howell to become a Minnesota Viking. [He’s a] guy we did a lot of work on a few years back and got a chance to play in a bunch of games for Washington before moving on to Seattle and really just another guy to acquire in his quarterback journey at a different point in time.
Howell won’t be expected to sit and handle the clipboard. O’Connell believes there is more potential to unlock in Howell’s game.
Now, having been at a couple of spots and we still think that there’s a lot in Sam’s game to develop, but also see where he can take it within our system, within our quarterback development plan here in Minnesota.
The Vikings could have Howell as a backup for a few years, potentially using him as trade bait. Or they could set him up to get another starting opportunity in free agency, much like Sam Darnold did in San Francisco before going to Minnesota.
Either way, getting Howell helps the Vikings in 2025 while continuing to help their reputation as one of the league’s premier destinations for quarterbacks.
