Seattle Seahawks trade QB Sam Howell to Minnesota Vikings

The Seattle Seahawks have decided to trade quarterback Sam Howell to the Minnesota Vikings, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The trade occurred during the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Minnesota will receive Howell and the 172nd overall pick. The Seahawks will acquire the No. 142 overall pick.

Howell played one season with the Seahawks. He appeared in three games during the 2024-25 season, with his most productive coming against the Packers where he completed 5 of 14 passes for 24 yards and an interception.

“The Vikings have been in search of a new quarterback to try to work with and back up JJ McCarthy. There was all the conversation about Aaron Rodgers and whether he would go to Minnesota. Well, the Vikings now have gone out — after losing Daniel Jones to the Colts, after losing Sam Darnold to the Seahawks — they now get one of the Seahawks quarterbacks themselves.

“They are trading for the veteran quarterback Sam Howell. A new quarterback in the Vikings quarterback room.”

The trade comes less than 24 hours after the Seahawks drafted former Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe in the third round on Friday night. Milroe enters the NFL after going 21-6 in two years as the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback and provides a dynamic dual-threat option from the most important position on the field.

Milroe posted career-best numbers in 2024, combining for 3,570 yards of total offense and 36 total touchdowns, including a career-high 20 rushing scores this past season. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Milroe threw for 2,844 yards on 64.3 percent (205-of-319) passing with 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, along with 726 rushing yards in 2024.

Milroe landed at Alabama as a four-star quarterback out of Tompkins High (Katy, Texas) in the 2021 recruiting cycle, ranking as the No. 89 overall player in the class and 12th-ranked quarterback, according to On3’s Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. The success he went on to enjoy at Alabama will hope to be mirrored in the NFL.

For Sam Howell, he’ll be moving to Minnesota for his fourth NFL season after a standout career at North Carolina. He threw for 92 touchdowns and over 10,000 passing yards in three seasons as the starter in Chapel Hill. Howell proved his dual-threat abilities during his final college season, rushing for over 800 yards and 11 more touchdowns.

He was given his opportunity during the 2023-24 season while playing for the Washington Commanders. Howell played in 17 games that season, throwing for 3,946 yards, 21 touchdowns and 21 interceptions for Washington.