Washington Commanders QB Sam Howell Trade Sign of Drake Maye Interest in NFL Draft?

The trade of Sam Howell means something to the Washington Commanders, but what?

The thought that the Washington Commanders might trade third-year quarterback Sam Howell was never too far removed from the main conversations surrounding the team entering the offseason.

As the new regime led by general manager Adam Peters and coach Dan Quinn took their spots in the Commanders organization their answers when asked about Howell were positive but noncomittal.

If Washington was to add a new quarterback in the first round of this year's NFL Draft, then it meant Howell's future with the team was a limited one given he had only two years left on his rookie deal, and the new guy would get at least that many seasons to prove or disprove his own value to the franchise.

Oct 28, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye (10).

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When veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota was brought in during free agency it all but sealed the deal.

"It wasn't an easy decision," Peters said about the trade a couple weeks after it was executed. "Sam's, he's tough, he's really tough. He's smart, he's a great, great kid, he’s talented, he's athletic. So, there's a lot of great things about Sam. Ultimately, we thought as we went through that process, we talked with his representatives, we let him know what we were doing, like throughout it all. And once we decided as an organization that we're going to explore a trade, we got some good interest and ultimately Seattle was really excited to get him."

And that was it. The Howell era was over before it ever truly began it seems.

Reading between the lines there are those who believe the Commanders are clearing the way for North Carolina quarterback, and good friend of Howell's, Drake Maye.

The idea of having two best friends in the same locker room is usually a good one, but when they're both battling for just one playing spot you can understand why Maye himself said the scenario would not be advantageous. After all, we all want to see our best friends thriving, not sitting on the bench.

If Washington does draft Maye then he'll eventually get the opportunity to face Howell, at least in spirit, whenever his franchise faces the Seahawks for the first time. Though Geno Smith seems to have a tight grip on that starting job for now, Howell may not be as competitive the first time they go head-to-head in a team sense.

Or, perhaps the Commanders moved on from Howell because they're moving on from that style of quarterback altogether.

The type of quarterback who could be described as throwing a tight spiral with plenty of zip, plus arm talent, being somewhat fearless with an abilty to climb the pocket while keeping his eyes scanning for targets, and having enough mobility to slide around the pocket and the toughness to gain yards with his legs when needed. A guy who sometimes, maybe often times, throws interceptions on the heels of bad decisions more than anything else.

Those comments aren't about Howell, but is a collection of scouting observations on Maye, though the same could be said about the former.

Now, there were plenty around Washington last season who thought if Howell just had a few more inches to see over the line and around the field better his play would have improved, even with a suspect offensive line and pourous defense for much of the year.

That's where Maye differs from Howell the most as he comes in at six-feet-four-inches compared to just over six feet tall for his former North Carolina teammate.

Is that enough to sway the Commanders from Howell to a similarly equipped Maye? Or is the truth of the matter that Washington moved on from their former starter so quickly not just becuase they wanted to draft a new quarterback, not just because Mariota didn't sign on to be the third guy in the room, but because the team is also going in a totally new direction at quarterback altogether?

We'll find out for sure in two weeks.