The one constant in Sam Howell’s two seasons with the Washington Commanders was that nobody agreed on his value — at least not until general manager Adam Peters arrived.
Quarterbacks rule the NFL. This is why, despite adding enough incoming players during the opening week of free agency to cast the next “Ocean’s Thirteen” flick, we’re focusing on the one the Commanders traded away. Washington dealt Howell, the team’s 2023 starter, along with a fourth- and sixth-round selection in April’s draft to the Seattle Seahawks for third- and fifth-round picks.
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That’s a solid practical and net gain for a player the league let slide to the fifth round, 144th overall, in the 2022 draft. The famous Jimmy Johnson trade chart and others show Washington received the equivalent of a late third/early fourth-round pick in return. The third-round selection, No. 78, means the rebuilding Commanders have six picks in the top 100 and nine overall. With that haul, Peters can do some damage toward fixing the long-term roster.
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Anyone who guzzled the Howell-is-him hype after former head coach Ron Rivera effectively named him QB1 in January 2023 despite one career start may disagree — especially when they saw the new hope throw four touchdown passes in a rematch with the Philadelphia Eagles and lead a 20-17 road win over the New England Patriots.
“Sam Howell is our future,” defensive tackle Jonathan Allen said after the New England victory. “He’s our quarterback. I feel like we found our quarterback for the next 5-10 years, and I truly believe that.”
The Pro Bowler wasn’t alone. When a team goes 30 years with minimal QB stability — Howell became the eighth different starter since 2020 — trading away a promising passer may seem dubious.
Multiple teams have checked in on Howell’s availability in recent days and four were involved in the bidding process, according to a league source involved in the situation. Two front-office executives with other teams — one in the quarterback derby — told The Athletic earlier this month they would consider trading at least a fourth for Howell. They didn’t discount the tougher-than-tough player despite his struggles and shortcomings. Thriving on any level amid Washington’s lame duck season was a chore.
“We were sweating it out,” Seahawks general manager John Schneider said during an interview with Seattle Sports following the trade. “There were several teams involved. … He’s a quarterback, but he’s really a football player. That’s what I love about him.”
Those who have a lasting memory of the role Howell played as Washington unraveled see the trade as a shocking win.
The pre-draft concerns that dropped Howell from first-round consideration to Day 3 were displayed over 17 starts. The first-year starter led the league with 21 interceptions and contributed to Washington’s 65 allowed sacks by holding the ball too long. Howell was benched in-game twice during the Commanders’ season-ending eight-game losing streak.
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Playoff possibilities went up in smoke as the season progressed, as did the perception of Howell’s future. This painful conclusion landed Washington the second overall selection in the 2024 draft, a year when quarterbacks might go off the board 1-2-3.
Rivera and most of his staff were gone after the season, meaning the most ardent Howell backers were out of the building, replaced by a new regime that set a course to change almost everything (not the team name, at least not yet). Whatever Peters and crew think of Howell’s potential, they did so without emotional or ego ties. They didn’t draft or develop him. But incoming quarterbacks Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye, the perceived targets at No. 2, would be theirs for better or worse.
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Who knows if Daniels, Maye or projected No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams will become stars or one of many first-round QB busts. Their player profiles soar beyond Howell’s. Peters, speaking last month at the league’s annual scouting combine, said, “We still have a lot of work to do” with evaluating the rookie quarterback class.
He continued: “We really like what we have in Sam right now, so we’re really excited about that too.” None of these quarterbacks have played a game since January. Peters watched Howell in person as the 49ers’ assistant general manager when San Francisco beat Washington in December. His Howell comments at the combine were about remaining cool, talking up an asset and biding his time.
Competent teams try to maximize these rare gems with help. That includes a veteran mentor. Signing Marcus Mariota this week addressed that desire.
These new Washington decision-makers aren’t about telegraphing their next moves. What would happen after acquiring Mariota was transparent. He wasn’t coming to Washington as a third-stringer, and the team wasn’t guaranteeing him a salary of $6 million with a $10 million upside for one year to be QB3.
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“I bring a lot of value in a lot of different aspects,” Mariota said in his introductory video news conference minutes before Howell’s trade. “If I’m called upon to be ready to play, I’m very confident in that, and I’m also very confident in my role as a mentor. … Whatever this team needs of me, I’m going to do it to the best of my abilities and just try to ultimately win games here.”
Mariota’s NFL journey began as the second overall selection by the Tennessee Titans in the 2015 draft. He’s known the face-of-the-franchise pressure and can “relay some of the things that I went through,” he said, “and then ultimately in the end — whoever that (QB) may be — is just providing them confidence to go out there and be the best version of themselves.”
Howell, who turns 24 in September, may be many things, but an old hand ready to lead a rookie by example isn’t one of them. He’s too much of a team player to rock the boat being inactive weekly, while his trade worth diminishes with an out-of-sight, out-of-mind year. Not that everyone thought any value beyond a late-round pick remained. Others around the league did.
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The Seahawks can let Howell learn behind starter Geno Smith if they choose. Washington might choose a similar path if it prefers sitting a rookie early or for much of the 2024 season. Peters and coach Dan Quinn have time to determine such plans.
The Commanders will continue stockpiling veterans across the roster in anticipation of finding building blocks and late-round gems in the draft. Their work is hardly complete. But one thing became clear: There was no time to wait on moving Howell.
(Photo: Dustin Satloff / Getty Images)
