The Seattle Seahawks raised some eyebrows on Thursday when they made a trade with the Washington Commanders to acquire quarterback Sam Howell.

Howell started all 17 games for the Commanders in 2023, which led to instant speculation that perhaps Geno Smith’s starting job in Seattle was in question.

But per Bob Condotta, Seattle GM John Schneider said that Smith will still be the team’s QB1 and that Howell will be backing him up.

John Schneider on @WymanAndBob makes clear "Geno is the guy and Sam will be backing him up'' of the trade for Sam Howell. Says several other teams were interested in trading for Howell. Notes how young he is — a year younger than Bo Nix.

— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) March 14, 2024

Schneider also said that, at least right now, Howell will not be competing with Smith for the starting QB spot.

Elaborates that "as of right now it'snot like we are signing him to go ahead and compete with Geno to be the starter.''

— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) March 14, 2024

After a couple of seasons of backing up Russell Wilson in Seattle, Smith won the starting job for the 2022 season after Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos.

He shed his reputation of being nothing more than a satisfactory backup and led the NFL in completion percentage while winning the Comeback Player of the Year award and leading the Seahawks to the playoffs in 2022.

Smith has made the Pro Bowl in both of the last two years, and at age 33, he should likely have at least a couple of good years left in him.

But now, the Seahawks have a contingency plan and perhaps a succession plan in place with Howell on board.

Howell threw a league-high 21 interceptions last season, but he did throw for 3,946 yards and 21 touchdowns, and at age 23, he’s just getting started.

Schneider deserves praise for avoiding a painful rebuilding process or even having to rebuild at all after getting rid of Wilson, an almost surefire future Hall of Famer, and his team should be in contention for a playoff spot this fall and winter.

The post Seahawks Announce Starting QB After Sam Howell Trade appeared first on The Cold Wire.