Seahawks GM John Schneider Can 'Absolutely' See Sam Howell as NFL Starter

The Seattle Seahawks traded for Sam Howell to be Geno Smith's backup, but general manager John Schneider says he can see Howell eventually being a starter again in the NFL.

The Seattle Seahawks traded for Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell to begin the new league year as Drew Lock moved on to the New York Giants during free agency.

Now with Geno Smith and Howell on the roster, the Seahawks can feel good about their options for the 2024 season. Smith provides the experience and Howell the youth as both could feed of each other in a positive way this year.

Howell had his first year as a starter in 2023, but ended with a 4-13 record, and Washington getting the No. 2 overall pick in next month's draft. This likely led to him being traded, and he will now sit behind Geno for the 2024 season and learn Ryan Grubb's system.

But as we have seen, starters who become backups can easily force their way into a starting role again, and Seahawks general manager John Schneider sees that same path forward for Howell, while likening him to a Hall of Fame quarterback.

Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell (14).

Kevin R. Wexler / USA TODAY NETWORK

“Yeah, absolutely. Yeah," Schneider said on his he could see Howell being a starter again. "He's younger than some of these guys [in the draft]. So it was like, okay, you guys have 18 starts. And I get it. He's turned the ball over. But they threw the ball a ton. And I always tell Dave, with Coach Holmgren and Ron Wolf and those guys, I was kind of like, I don't know if it's good or bad, but I was around Brett Favre at a really young age. The guy was throwing interceptions like crazy and he ends up winning three MVPs. I love the way he plays the game. Sam. And Brett."

With Howell now joining the Seahawks, there have been rumors that he could potentially usurp Geno after the 2024 season. Seattle could save $25 million in 2025 by making Smith a post-June 1 cut as he has a $38.5 million cap number, per Over The Cap.

Smith failed to live up to his impressive 2022 Pro Bowl season last year, and while things looked good early (Seattle was 6-3), a four-game losing streak meant that the Seahawks were fighting against the tide to make the playoffs - a fight they eventually lost.

Now with a new offensive coordinator in Ryan Grubb, the Seahawks under new head coach Mike Macdonald will be looking to hit the ground running in their first year with Geno as the starter.

But beyond that? Smith's future is uncertain. With Schneider having full confidence that Howell could be a starter in the NFL again, could that be with the Seahawks in 2025?