Former North Carolina record-setter who has bounced across four franchises while looking to reclaim a starting job.
Sam Howell arrived with a decorated college resume and a brief run as Washington's starter, but his path since has taken him through Seattle, Minnesota, and Philadelphia as a depth arm. He now looks to carve out a role after a 2025 season spent almost entirely on the sideline.
Path to the league
Howell started for North Carolina from day one of his college career, winning ACC Rookie of the Year in 2019 and finishing with school records of 10,283 career passing yards and 92 touchdowns. Washington drafted him in the fifth round, 144th overall, of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
Howell won his only start as a rookie in 2022 before taking over as Washington's full-time starter in 2023. He has since been traded multiple times, moving to Seattle, then Minnesota in April 2025, then Philadelphia that August. For his career he has thrown for 4,139 yards and 22 touchdowns over 20 games.
2025 season recap
Howell did not appear in a single regular-season game in 2025, serving as Philadelphia's emergency third quarterback behind Jalen Hurts and Tanner McKee after being traded there in August. It was a quiet year on the field as he settled into a depth role.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Sam Howell
- Pro Football Reference: Sam Howell
Statistics
2025 season and career▶Passing · career
| Year | Team | GP | CMP | ATT | YDS | TD | INT | RTG | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | seahawks | 3 | 5 | 14 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 14.6 | 2.9 |
| 2023 | commanders | 17 | 388 | 612 | 3,946 | 21 | 21 | 78.9 | 43.2 |
| 2022 | commanders | 1 | 11 | 19 | 169 | 1 | 1 | 83.0 | 48.3 |
▶Rushing · career
| Year | Team | GP | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | seahawks | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2023 | commanders | 17 | 48 | 263 | 5.5 | 5 | 24 |
| 2022 | commanders | 1 | 5 | 35 | 7.0 | 1 | 10 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Quarterback
- Group
- offense
- College
- North Carolina
- Hometown
- Indian Trail, NC, USA
- Age
- 25
- Status
- active
Team
