With the Minnesota Vikings seemingly out on Aaron Rodgers, the team will turn its attention to adding another backup option or two behind second-year signal-caller, J.J. McCarthy, who is a total wild card.
McCarthy is set to take the reins under center in 2025 after missing the entire 2024 campaign due to injury. The problem with that is there’s no telling what McCarthy will be able to provide, which is troublesome for a Vikings team that has Super Bowl aspirations after an impressive 14-3 showing last season.
Ideally, the Vikings land an established veteran to back up the Michigan product, but at bare bones minimum, the team needs more bodies, as Brett Rypien simply isn’t a good enough option.
That’s something CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan and Jared Dubin agree with. The pair recently named the Vikings as a possible landing spot for Seattle Seahawks signal-caller, Sam Howell, who is entering the final year of his $4 million rookie deal.
“The Vikes have expressed interest in finding a veteran backup for J.J. McCarthy,” the duo wrote. “Howell may or may not qualify as a veteran, heading into his fourth NFL season. But the only other quarterback behind McCarthy at the moment is Brett Rypien, and Howell probably qualifies as an upgrade there.”
Rumors surfaced recently that Howell is on the trade block after the team signed Drew Lock to serve as a backup behind Sam Darnold. On Monday, Seahawks GM John Schneider confirmed the team has been receiving calls about Howell, but he didn’t fully commit to trading the former fifth-round pick.
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“Yeah, that’s accurate,” Schneider said of the Howell trade rumors, before adding that he wasn’t sure the team would actually trade him.
“I don’t know,” Schneider said of a possible Howell trade. “We’re not there yet.”
While Howell is far from guaranteed to be able to keep the ship afloat if called upon, he would offer a higher floor and ceiling than Rypien.
In 2023, Howell showed promise with the Washington Commanders. In 17 starts, the UNC product threw for 3,946 yards and 21 touchdowns to 21 picks, which displayed his erratic side, also.
In fairness to Howell, he didn’t have a great situation to work with thanks to a lackluster supporting cast. In Minnesota, he’d have a far better group of pass-catchers with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson.
With the Vikings in win-now mode, they should definitely be looking for a more sure option than what Howell can provide. However, if all else fails, trading for Howell would be a solid fallback option.
