Vikings’ Last Trade Was Not a Spontaneous Decision
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has been one of the most active executives on the trade market ever since taking over the top spot in Minnesota’s organization in 2022. This offseason, he has already sent Ed Ingram to Houston and acquired running back Jordan Mason and quarterback Sam Howell.
Vikings’ Last Trade Was Not a Spontaneous Decision
Howell’s trade was not a shock by any means, strictly because it made sense. One club needed a passer, the other had too many of those. There was no report or rumor that it would be imminent. Suddenly, during the draft, the Vikings swapped their fifth-rounder for a later fifth-rounder and the passer.
Howell was landed by trading pick 142 for pick 172.
ESPN’s Ryan Fowler dropped some draft nuggets on Wednesday, and he released some intel about that deal: “The Vikings got to work on a Sam Howell trade a week before the draft. The legwork was done by the time Day 3 came around. Howell, with the Seahawks last year and a starter as a rookie with the Commanders in 2023, is the next student of the Kevin O’Connell QB rehabilitation school.”
It turns out Adofo-Mensah didn’t spontaneously call the Seahawks after they selected Jalen Milroe in the third round, but it was planned in advance.
Seattle has three passers under contract in a totally retooled QB room for the upcoming season. The first move was sending starter Geno Smith to Las Vegas. He received a strong contract from the Raiders, something the Seahawks apparently were not willing to match.
Instead, they signed ex-Viking Sam Darnold in free agency. The Pro Bowler received a three-year deal with a simple exit option after year one that would make it a one-year deal. It’s a little surprising to see the passer not have more leverage after a season with 35 passing touchdowns, but the sad reality for Darnold was that he didn’t have a multitude of suitors.
In April, the Seahawks added Drew Lock to be his backup, a move that had already made Howell an afterthought. Jaren Hall, another ex-Viking, was released after the draft, in which Alabama’s athletic signal-caller, Milroe, joined the club.
The Vikings, meanwhile, are happy with Howell. He cost only minimal draft capital, has some experience in the league, and is still just 24 years old.
About Howell, head coach Kevin O’Connell said on the Rich Eisen Show: “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.”
To quote Fowler again, Howell “is the next student of the Kevin O’Connell QB rehabilitation school.”
It’s quite exciting to have a quarterback whisperer in charge who can get the most out of quarterbacks. He had Josh Dobbs play his best ball after only a week with him, Darnold developed from backup to Pro Bowler, and Kirk Cousins was balling at an MVP level prior to his injury in 2023. Spending a year under O’Connell, even if he ultimately doesn’t see the field, will still increase Howell’s value in free agency next year.
Howell has started 18 games in his career, resulting in 4,115 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns, and 22 interceptions. He also rushed for six scores and 298 yards in those games.
The total number of interceptions is undoubtedly too high, but it should be noted that he operated a high-volume passing attack in 2023 because Washington was trailing a lot. In Minnesota, he would still throw frequently if he had to replace J.J. McCarthy because that’s what O’Connell does, but he could play a little more conservatively with a decent defense and, hopefully, an improved rushing game behind a fortified offensive line.
Howell needed a fresh start elsewhere, and there’s probably no better place than Minnesota for that. The Vikings will meet the Seahawks in the upcoming season.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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