The Vikings’ Big Trade Is Official
During Day No. 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings brought a popular theory to life.
The Vikings’ Big Trade Is Official
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah swung a trade with the Seattle Seahawks for quarterback Sam Howell, only needing to donate a pick swap to Seattle for Howell. Minnesota moved down 30 draft spots and obtained a QB2.
Two days later, the Vikings made the trade official.
Sam Howell to Vikings Is Official
The team’s primary social media account tweeted Monday, “Sam Howell has officially passed his physical, completing the trade with Seattle.”
It’s a done deal, and Minnesota doesn’t have to worry about a Los Angeles Lakers-like fate from a couple of months ago when a deal for center Mark Williams fell through with the Charlotte Hornets because of a suspect physical.
Minnesota got its man — at a rather affordable price.
A New QB2
Last year, Minnesota employed Sam Darnold, Nick Mullens, and Daniel Jones as options alongside J.J. McCarthy, the club’s rookie passer who tore his meniscus in his first-ever preseason game. Darnold seized the QB1 job and dimed 4,319 passing yards and 35 touchdowns.
Ironically, Darnold joined the Seahawks this offseason, Howell’s old team, as the Vikings did not prioritize Darnold’s return to the Twin Cities. Darnold ruthlessly failed in the 2024 season’s final two games when Minnesota needed him the most, and at his $33 million asking price for 2025, Adofo-Mensah said, “No thanks.”
Meanwhile, Mullens departed for the Jacksonville Jaguars, on deck for a QB2 job behind Trevor Lawrence. And Jones is an Indianapolis Colt. He might even win a starter’s job over Anthony Richardson in four months. Stay tuned.
Kevin O’Connell on Howell
Head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke to Rich Eisen recently about the addition of Howell: “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.”
“We feel really good about Josh McCown [coaching] that quarterbacks room, and all the talent, and the things we’ve acquired — whether it’s up front; the skill guys we do have that we feel so great about, and then just our system going into Year 4, the evolution of that becoming as quarterback friendly as we can make it, while also challenging defenses and trying to do the things that it takes to win football games.”
Howell fits the O’Connell archetype — a fearless thrower of the rock who’s unafraid to toss some interceptions in the interest of driving the ball downfield.
In Washington, during the 2023 campaign, Howell notably took too many sacks, which basically cancelled his long-term trajectory as a starter.
So, O’Connell, known as a quarterback whisperer, must teach and correct the errors of his ways.
Vikings.com’s Take
Vikings.com‘s Rob Kleifield wrote about Howell’s bio to date: “He’s a 24-year-old with three seasons of NFL experience, including one in which he started 17 games for the Commanders and passed for just short of 4,000 yards at a 63.4-percent clip. In that 2023 sampling, Howell led Washington to a 4-13 mark and grew, painfully, through a league-worst 65 sacks and as many interceptions as touchdowns (21). There were hard lessons – but there were also flashes.”
“Howell went 39-for-52 with 397 passing yards and a 4:1 touchdown-to-pick ratio against Philadelphia in Week 8 that season. Two games later at Seattle, he compiled a 29-of-44 line, with 312 yards, three TDs and no interceptions. Overall, in 2023, Howell rushed for 30 or more yards in seven contests and completed at least 65% of his throws eight times. His woes were underpinned by a ton of responsibility.”
Howel will turn 25 in September, notably younger than New Orleans Saints rookie signal-caller Tyler Shough.
Kleifield added, “Put bluntly, the Commanders struggled in the run game – their leading rusher gained 733 yards. Their offensive line started nine different players, and their defense surrendered 30.5 points per game (more than anyone else).”
All the Worry for Nothing
For weeks, Vikings fans chided the franchise for not signing a backup quarterback after 12+ others joined new teams. Many actually questioned what was going on — implying that the team didn’t care about a QB2 or merely forgot about that spot on the roster.
In the end, Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell were patient, finding Howell for next to nothing in the draft.
The Long Wait Is Over for Vikings Fans
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