The Minnesota Vikings traded quarterback Sam Howell and a 2026 sixth-round draft pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2026 fifth-rounder and a 2027 seventh-rounder.
Why they made the move
Eagles backup quarterback Tanner McKee injured his finger in practice, and his status is uncertain for the regular-season opener. The defending Super Bowl champs clearly preferred a more experienced option than rookie Kyle McCord, who was a relatively popular late-round option by league executives. But with high expectations and a tough September schedule, it made sense to acquire someone like Howell.
The Vikings’ motivation is a little more perplexing, especially with J.J. McCarthy set to take over a team that was a victory shy of the NFC’s top seed in 2024. Yeah, they subsequently added 32-year-old Carson Wentz, but the 2016 first-rounder has started two games over the last two seasons and hasn’t had much success since flourishing early in his career.
Trade grade (Eagles): B
Howell has done some nice things in his brief career, notably with the Eagles’ rivals in Washington. Howell led the NFL with 612 passing attempts (and 21 interceptions) in 2023. Of course, that was a byproduct of being on a bad team, but he was generally viewed as an ascending player. Then again, it’s impossible to ignore that he’s been traded by the Commanders, Seattle Seahawks and now the Vikings in a year and a half.
Jalen Hurts has missed two games in three of his past four seasons, so the Eagles are wise to keep the room stocked. McKee is likely to resume his duties as the backup whenever he’s healthy, but no one will ever complain about having an array of intriguing options to fortify the room behind the franchise QB.
Trade grade (Vikings): Huh?
For better or worse — and there’s more reason to be optimistic than not — McCarthy is the new franchise quarterback. The trade will be an afterthought if McCarthy stays healthy and shows his potential, but there’s an undeniable risk after he missed his entire rookie season with a meniscus surgery.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell has established himself as one of the league’s premier developers of QB talent because of his positional acumen and ability to call a great game. It’s a major reason why it’s easy to be bullish on McCarthy. O’Connell has already worked wonders with Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold in Minnesota.
The same could have been possible for Howell, who turns 25 next month and has potential as a backup or spot starter. If things weren’t progressing as hoped, it’s not like Wentz just became available — they could have signed him much earlier to get him acclimated for the season opener in 15 days.
Undrafted rookie Max Brosmer has impressed in the preseason, which could have made Howell more expendable in the Vikings’ eyes.
The Vikings are looking for receiver depth and boosted their tradable assets with this move, jumping from the sixth to the fifth round in the 2026 draft and adding a 2027 seventh-rounder. But are either of those picks going to cause the Carolina Panthers to trip over themselves to return Adam Thielen to Minnesota?
This trade could ultimately turn into a gigantic nothing-burger for the Vikings. However, there are reasons to question the motivation until we see how the season plays out.
(Photo: Johnnie Izquierdo / Getty Images)