Seahawks' Geno Smith Remains QB1 over Sam Howell After Commanders Trade, GM Says

Geno Smith will remain the Seattle Seahawks' starting quarterback despite the team's addition of ex-Washington Commanders signal-caller Sam Howell via trade on Thursday.

"Geno is the guy and Sam will be backing him up," Seahawks general manager John Schneider said on the Wyman and Bob Show on 710 Seattle Sports.

"...(Howell) is a competitive guy … I'm sure there's competition, but as of right now it's not like we're signing him to go and compete with Geno to be the starter."

The Seahawks had a spot open in the quarterback room after backup Drew Lock left Seattle for the New York Giants in free agency.

With the Commanders all but certain to take a quarterback No. 2 overall in the upcoming NFL draft and the team also signing veteran Marcus Mariota, Howell became available for trade.

Schneider said that there were several teams involved on Howell before they ultimately landed him. He also made clear how much the organization loves Howell, who threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns in a 29-26 loss at Seattle this past seaason.

"The day we played here, that hit home how tough he was, how strong he was," Schneider said. "Keeping his eyes downfield, finding the open receiver and, yeah, shoot, almost winning the game there at the end. … We got great reviews on him and we loved him coming out of college. We're happy to get him in the mix."

Schneider also raved about Howell's toughness, a trait the ex-UNC star needed to possess after getting sacked 65 times.

"Sam's a football player, I think that's the best way to describe it," Schneider said. "… He's a quarterback, but he's really a football player, that's what I love about him. … He's just a football player, and I keep going back to that but that's a legit thing. This past year he threw it over 40 times in eight games, he threw it 50 times in two games. So, you know, it was rough sledding for him this past year with the Commanders."

Although Schneider said that Smith is QB1, one can help but wonder if that will actually be the case in 2024. The fact of the matter is new head coach Mike Macdonald hasn't fully vouched and backed Smith to be the team's starter.

"The first thing that I want you to know, and everybody to know, is that as an organization we're always looking, we're always trying to figure out what's best for the team all the time," Macdonald said, per Michael Shawn-Dugar. "We're always going to try to make the best decisions for the team."

Ultimately, the quarterback situation in Seattle will be one to watch going forward. Smith appears to have the QB1 reins for now, but it's certainly possible that Howell can move in at some point too given Schneider's love for the player and Macdonald's non-commitment to Smith.