Ralph Vacchiano covers the NFC East for FOX Sports, and he used to cover the Jets for SNY – so when it comes to Sam Howell possibly being traded to the Jets, as was a rumor last week, he’s pretty plugged in on both sides.
Indeed, Vacchiano wrote a column over the weekend that Howell is garnering a lot of interest around the league and a few teams really like him – and at this point, if the Commanders can turn a fifth-round pick into one year of a bridge and anything close to a fifth back for him, that has to be a win?
“A few teams like him, and he's not gonna bring back a first-round pick or anything, but obviously he showed some potential for eight or nine games last season before he seemed to hit a little bit of a wall,” Vacchiano told Grant & Danny Monday. “I think for the Commanders, if they do end up taking a rookie quarterback, I think you don't want Sam Howell to be sort of an afterthought on the team. He's not really a veteran backup who can help a rookie, and you probably have to have a veteran backup anyway, which then makes him a third-stringer where you’re just sort of wasting him. If you can trade him to another team and get a third round pick or so in return, I think that's a valuable thing.”
The theory was the Jets like him as a possible successor to Aaron Rodgers, who is 40 and coming off a major injury, but who else might be interested?
“I think anybody who can't get a hold of a rookie quarterback, one of those top four or five, has to at least think of him. You're getting sort of a bonus; not only do you get a guy that's on a rookie deal, but you get a guy who's played and been in league for a couple of years,” Vacchiano said. “He's not gonna go through the same rookie mistakes and growing pains because he's already had that, and he’s thrown for 3,800 yards and won a bunch of games and he showed that he can handle himself. So, he's starting to get into the time where he would be in a little bit of a comfort zone. Looking at the Draft, you’re looking at maybe Tennessee or Atlanta or someone like that.”
Or, as Vacchiano explained for the reasons listd above, the Jets.
“It could be two years or two plays with Rodgers, and they're in a position where they have to be thinking what's next, so it's a low risk thing for them to bring in a Sam Howell,” Vacchiano said. “Let him sit behind Aaron Rodgers for a year or so, and then you have a choice to make in two years, but you can grow and learn about him and decide if this is the guy we want for our future or do we have to move on.”
It’s all spec as to what Howell could bring, as no concrete offers have leaked, but the 49ers only got a four for Trey Lance, who was No. 3 overall – but does Howell’s experience overcome his draft position and bring back something equivalent?
“It all comes down to how many teams are interested, what picks they have that are extra, and where they are in the draft,” Vacchiano said. “Maybe a team is sitting in the third round ready for a quarterback and they don't see any that they like, so they say, maybe we can get Sam Howell instead. So, it's kind of fluid on what they might be able to get, but again, if Trey Lance is going for a fourth, I can't imagine it's gonna be less than a fourth. I don’t know if there are 32 quarterbacks capable of throwing for nearly 4,000 yards and 20 touchdowns while being sacked 65 times – imagine what he could do if you put him in a better situation?”
All that said, is there any merit to keeping Howell for any reason?
“They’re not going to dump him just to dump him, and trade him for a Day 3 pick, and I agree with you that there's value in Sam Howell and I’d be comfortable with him as my backup quarterback,” Vacchiano said. “My issue with him for the Commanders is, again, assuming they are going with a rookie, you bring in a veteran who's done it before for years, who can be not only be the guy that can step in for a few games if the rookie struggles or gets hurt, but also be a mentor to him. You don't want a guy who is young enough where he's still sort of fighting for his career, trying to figure things out – you want more of a guy like Jacoby Brissett.”
Take a listen to Vacchiano’s entire segment, as well as G&D’s thoughts on the Howell trade interest, above!
