Trade! Vikings Add New QB.
“Trader Kwesi” is up to his old tricks.
Trade! Vikings Add New QB.
Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah pulled off an oft-forecasted trade on Saturday, the third day of the 2025 NFL Draft, for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell.
With Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones, and Nick Mullens departing the franchise, it’s Howell as QB2 in Minnesota.
Sam Howell to Vikings via Deal with Seahawks
Star Tribune‘s Ben Goessling tweeted, “The Vikings are finally adding a QB: They’re trading the 142nd pick to Seattle for Sam Howell, the 2022 fifth-round pick who started his career in Washington. They’ll also get the 172nd pick in the deal with the Seahawks.”
Minnesota had two picks in Round 5 on Saturday — Nos. 139 and 142 — sending No. 142 to Seattle and grabbing the 172nd pick as part of the deal. Adofo-Mensah basically moved down 30 spots on the draftboard to land Howell, who instantly becomes the QB2 in 2025.
The QB2 Mystery Is Solved
For six weeks, Minnesota fans have wondered just who in the hell would support 22-year-old J.J. McCarthy, the franchise’s long-term quarterback of the future. Minnesota notably passed on backups like Gardner Minshew, Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, and about a dozen others.
Aaron Rodgers even engulfed the entire dialogue for about a month before Minnesota swatted away those rumors, preferring McCarthy, not Rodgers, for 2025 and beyond.
Had the Vikings not bartered for Howell, the free-agent options were down to nubbins, only offering Carson Wentz, Ryan Tannehill, and Tyler Huntley on the open market. Many believed Adofo-Mensaha might sign Wentz and call it good — Wentz would cost nothing via trade — but the Vikings preferred Howell.
ESPN’s Take
ESPN wrote about Howell on Saturday: “Seattle acquired Howell in a trade last March with the Washington Commanders, giving up third- and fifth-round selections in exchange for Howell and picks in the fourth and sixth rounds. The Seahawks beat out three other teams who were also negotiating with Washington, a source told ESPN at the time.”
“Howell, 24, struggled badly in a relief appearance of then Seahawks starter Geno Smith in December. After Smith hurt his knee midway through the third quarter of a 30-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers, Howell completed only 5 of 14 attempts for 24 yards and an interception.”
The new Viking turned heads as a starter in Washington two years ago, posting gaudy numbers but outlandishly taking too many sacks.
ESPN added: “Howell, a fifth-round pick by Washington in 2022, started all 17 games for the Commanders in 2023, throwing for 21 touchdowns and a league-high 21 interceptions. He also led the NFL with 612 attempts, completing 63.4% of them while throwing for 3,946 yards. The Commanders went 4-13, traded Howell to Seattle and drafted Jayden Daniels second overall.”
A Volume Passer Behind J.J. McCarthy
There’s no other way around it: Howell can fling it. He’s unafraid to toss the ball all over the field, not unlike Minnesota’s previous QB2, Nick Mullens.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell has a type: players who are fearless at the quarterback spot and willing to take shots downfield. Howell is that guy.
Another Project for the Quarterback Whisperer
O’Connell has rapidly made a name for himself as a “quarterback whisperer,” squeezing the best from Joshua Dobbs, Sam Darnold, and the aforementioned Mullens in the last three seasons.
Howell is next.
In fact, purple fans have adapted a mentality that it really “doesn’t matter’ on the identity of the backup quarterback because “O’Connell knows best.”
That mantra will be tested with Howell, an aficionado of sacks surrendered and interceptions thrown.
The hope? Howell won’t have to play at all in 2025. That’s what McCarthy is for.
One X user commented on the swap: “Big move! Vikings get a new QB in Sam Howell. Will be interesting to see how this impacts their future plans.”
Vikings analyst Nick Olson added, “Sam Howell is fun. Probably not good enough to compete with JJ, but he’s a gamer, with a live arm and an overweening confidence that makes for fun highlights. Still just 24. If KOC can get him to play within structure inside the pocket a little more, there’s some upside there.”
Howell is young. He’ll turn 25 in September.
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