Source: Seahawks trade QB Howell to Vikings

The Seattle Seahawks are trading quarterback Sam Howell to the Minnesota Vikings, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Saturday.

The Vikings traded pick No. 142 in the fifth round (defensive tackle Rylie Mills) to the Seahawks in exchange for Howell and pick No. 172 in the fifth round, a source told Schefter.

Howell now becomes the likely backup to quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The Vikings also have quarterback Brett Rypien under contract.

The trade comes after the Seahawks drafted quarterback Jalen Milroe in the third round on Friday night.

McCarthy opened the Vikings' offseason program last week with no limitations from the torn right meniscus during the 2024 preseason, which caused him to miss his entire rookie year. The Vikings have stopped short of naming McCarthy their starter for 2025, but general manager said last month that it's "the outcome we want" and "the outcome we're headed towards."

They bid farewell to three quarterbacks who were on their roster last season -- Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones and Nick Mullens -- although they had hoped to sign Jones as McCarthy's likely backup. Jones decided instead to sign with the Indianapolis Colts, in part on the assumption that McCarthy would almost certainly be the Vikings' starter.

That led the Vikings to spend several days in serious internal discussions about the possibility of signing free agent Aaron Rodgers, who had expressed interest during a phone call with coach Kevin O'Connell. Ultimately, the Vikings decided to put those talks on hold and let allow McCarthy to maximize the team's reps during offseason practices.

O'Connell said last week that the team had a "pretty detailed plan" for adding depth behind and around McCarthy and Rypien and mentioned the possibility of a trade. Howell came relatively cheaply, as the pick swap simply required the Vikings to move down 30 spots in the fifth round.

Seattle acquired Howell in a trade in March 2024 with the Washington Commanders, giving up third- and fifth-round selections in exchange for Howell and picks in the fourth and sixth rounds. The Seahawks beat out three other teams who were also negotiating with Washington, a source told ESPN at the time.

Howell, 24, struggled badly in a relief appearance of then Seahawks starter Geno Smith in December. After Smith hurt his knee midway through the third quarter of a 30-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers, Howell completed only 5 of 14 attempts for 24 yards and an interception.

Howell, a fifth-round pick by Washington in 2022, started all 17 games for the Commanders in 2023, throwing for 21 touchdowns and a league-high 21 interceptions. He also led the NFL with 612 attempts, completing 63.4% of them while throwing for 3,946 yards. The Commanders went 4-13, traded Howell to Seattle and drafted Jayden Daniels second overall.

ESPN's Kevin Seifert and Brady Henderson contributed to this report.