The Minnesota Vikings finally solved their backup quarterback conundrum on Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Vikings traded pick No. 142 overall in the fifth round to the Seattle Seahawks for 24-year-old QB Sam Howell and pick No. 172. The Vikings essentially swapped fifth-round picks this year for Howell, who started his career with the Washington Commanders and now has been traded for the second straight offseason.
Howell started 17 games for the Commanders in 2023, but it didn’t end well for him. He threw as many interceptions (21) as he did touchdowns that season, and wound up serving as Geno Smith’s backup in Seattle in 2024.
The Seahawks drafted Alabama QB Jalen Milroe on Day 2, so Howell was very much on the outs. He’ll slot in behind J.J. McCarthy entering Minnesota’s offseason program, with third-stringer Brett Rypien also in the mix.
It’s a somewhat curious end to Minnesota’s drawn-out search for McCarthy’s QB2. After losing both Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones in free agency, the Vikings opted to wait until draft weekend to address the position, due mainly to potential implications regarding their multiple projected 2026 compensatory picks.
Landing Howell via trade won’t count against the NFL’s comp pick formula, so it makes sense on that front. But he isn’t exactly the seasoned mentor for McCarthy that most analysts expected Minnesota to add this offseason.
