Howell speaks about joining the Seahawks and backing up Geno Smith.
After his first full season as an NFL starter, new Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell finds himself in a backup role behind Geno Smith. Howell was traded from the Washington Commanders to Seattle earlier this month, giving Smith a new backup after Drew Lock’s free agency departure for the New York Giants.
In an interview with Seattle Sports 710, the 23-year-old Howell discussed how the trade materialized and his excitement to play for the Seahawks.
“A couple of days before the trade was announced, I kind of knew that (the Commanders) were kind of listening to trade offers,” Howell said. “The GM in Washington, Adam Peters, was very good to me and kind of kept me in the loop the whole time. And Adam knew that Seattle was a place that I was interested in going to.”
“Adam just kind of told me at the end of the day it came down to Seattle wanted me more than anybody else. And I’m happy with it. I’m happy to be a Seahawk,” Howell later said.
Howell faced the Seahawks last season, throwing for over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 29-26 loss. He says he enjoyed his time in Seattle as an opposing quarterback.
“We played there last year. I love the organization,” he said, “I’ve heard a lot of really good things about the organization. It’s a really fun place to play. And I spent a few days in city last year when we played out there and it seemed like a cool place to be and I’m really excited for a fresh start. And the opportunity to be behind Geno, I have a lot of respect for Geno, so I’m really excited about it.”
After the Seahawks game, Howell’s performances declined. He threw only 4 touchdown passes to 12 interceptions, twice getting benched in-game for Jacoby Brissett. Overall, Howell threw for 21 TDs and 21 interceptions on an astonishing 612 attempts. It was a rollercoaster year for Howell in terms of play on a team that is firmly in rebuilding mode. Howell acknowledges that he needs to cut down on the turnovers.
“Obviously the interceptions, I’ve just got to do a better job,” he said. “There were some times where we were down in some games and I was just trying to be a little aggressive and at times maybe just tried to do a little too much, trying to give us a chance. But I’ve got to be smarter, got to play smarter football, got to play winning football. And at times I was doing it, so just doing it at a more consistent rate. And I feel confident about my ability to do that. It’s just a matter of if I get an opportunity I’ve got to go out there and show it.”
The Seahawks have Howell under contract for two more seasons at a combined cap hit of $2,085,000.
Check out his interview in the video below:
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