For about 10 weeks last fall, Washington Commanders’ fans believed they’d found a franchise quarterback. Despite the chaos around him, Sam Howell had some impressive moments throughout the first half of last season.
Unfortunately for Howell and Washington, it all came crashing down as the Commanders lost their final eight games.
Some of it was Howell’s fault, some was due to the talent around him, and a lot of it was coaching. When you add it all together, it meant big changes were in store for the Commanders.
After firing Ron Rivera, Washington hired Adam Peters as the new general manager, and the changes began. The Commanders hired Dan Quinn as head coach and were busy during the early stages of free agency upgrading the roster. Washington traded Howell to the Seattle Seahawks during that first week of free agency. In return, the Commanders swapped multiple draft picks, including landing Seattle’s third-round pick (No. 78 overall).
Seattle GM John Schneider was relieved to come away with Howell, admitting multiple teams were in contention for the 2022 fifth-round pick.
We’ve now learned the Los Angeles Rams were one of those teams.
In an appearance on the PuckSports podcast, NFL Network’s Mike Garofolo revealed that the Rams badly wanted Howell behind Matthew Stafford.
“They [Seattle Seahawks] outbid the Rams, who I know that there was a strong feeling from the Rams coaching staff that they wanted Sam Howell badly,” Garofolo said.
“They really liked him, so the Seahawks were able to outbid them. So that’s good. You got him. You also kept him away from a team that really could have used him as a potential successor there.”
Rams head coach Sean McVay wanted Howell, which should tell you something. Also, the Denver Broncos were reportedly among the teams interested in Sam Howell. Regardless of what you think of his work in Denver last year, Sean Payton is a future Hall of Fame head coach.
That’s two of the NFL’s premier offensive minds wanting to work with Howell.
There were hot takes from a segment of Washington’s fan base that said Howell couldn’t play. McVay, Payton and Schneider all wanted Howell. He can play. Whether it’s as a long-term starter or a high-end backup, Howell will be in the NFL for a long time.
With Stafford entering his 16th NFL season in 2024, perhaps McVay viewed Howell as the potential heir apparent.
