PAINFUL DEPARTURE : NFL expert believes that Washington Commanders lose the best quarterback in 2024 draft due to.

The fact that the Seattle Seahawks did not take a quarterback in the 2024 NFL draft does not mean that they weren’t a winner in adding one this offseason. General manager John Schneider was able to add former Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell in a trade and Seattle gave up in essence a third-round pick in this year’s draft. That Howell is not expected to start in 2024 is not important.

What is important is that he is only 23 years old and under team control for the next two years. So is presumed starter Geno Smith. This means that Seattle conceivably does not have to add another quarterback until 2026. This could allow the team to build up the roster around the quarterback instead of having to find a franchise quarterback first.

There is a reason the above paragraph is full of theories. We know that things will likely change. Maybe Smith is released in the 2025 offseason for financial reasons – the team would save $25 million by doing so – and he is replaced with Howell. I am not saying this should happen, only that it is a possibility.

Seattle Seahawks’ Sam Howell might have been second-best quarterback available in 2024 draft

If Howell does replace Smith this season or next, former NFL general manager turned commentator Mike Lombardi believes the Seahawks should be in good shape. In fact, had Howell been available for the 2024 draft instead of the 2022 draft, the former North Carolina Tar Heel might have been the second overall choice in the draft.

That is because Lombardi thinks Howell would have been the second-best quarterback available, after Caleb Williams, in the draft and potentially better than Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye. The Washington Commanders took Daniels second overall in 2024 to replace Howell who Washington had shipped to Seattle.

Lombardi told 106.7 The Fan, “I said this to three or four head coaches in the league this offseason: I would rather have had Sam Howell than a lot of these quarterbacks that are drafted in the first round. Other than Caleb Williams, I probably would rather have Sam Howell than any of them…(Howell) is tougher than nails.”

Of course, none of this is to say that Howell should replace Smith right away as Smith has shown to be a good quarterback. But Howell is 10 years younger than Smith and a lot less expensive in 2025. According to Lombardi, if Howell does become QB1 in Seattle, 12s should rest easily. The Seahawks could then choose a quarterback next year or in 2026.