Minnesota gave the quarterback carousel a whirl on Sunday.
The Vikings traded Sam Howell and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Eagles in exchange for a 2026 fifth-round selection and a seventh-round pick in 2027, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported. Both teams have since announced the transaction.
The decision was prompted by Minnesota agreeing to terms with Carson Wentz, a move Rapoport and Pelissero reported shortly after the trade and also confirmed by the Vikings.
For Howell, it marks his third time traded since March 2024, when he went from the Commanders' 17-game starter to a backup for the Seahawks. He appeared in two games for Seattle last season before getting traded to Minnesota during the draft on April 26. Almost four months later to the day, the Vikes have now shipped him to the Eagles.
Philadelphia acquiring Howell comes after Tanner McKee fractured the top of his thumb, but the Eagles would have completed this trade regardless of McKee's injury, according to Rapoport, Pelissero and NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo. Although McKee's availability is in question for Week 1, per the Insiders, he's the clear-cut No. 2 signal-caller.
For the time being, Howell can fill in as backup to Jalen Hurts.
Increasingly well traveled, Howell sat out Minnesota's preseason finale. He ended August with 118 passing yards and an interception on 12-of-18 passing. However, his last appearance in purple was a disaster in which he completed one of his five pass attempts for 13 yards and the aforementioned pick.
Perhaps that showing, plus the struggles of fellow backup Brett Rypien -- who has since been released, per Pelissero -- and inexperience of undrafted free agent Max Brosmer, led the Vikings to explore other options behind a second-year QB in J.J. McCarthy without a start to his name.
They hosted Wentz for a visit and then signed him, bringing in the nine-year veteran who began his career with the Eagles and also played for the Commanders alongside Howell in 2022.
Wentz, 32, has made 94 starts (98 games played) with 22,410 passing yards, 153 touchdowns and 67 interceptions. An MVP candidate early on in his career before an injury cut short his best season in Philly, he recently served as a backup to Patrick Mahomes with the Chiefs in 2024.
Like Howell, Wentz has been around of late -- the Vikings mark his sixth team in six years -- but he's as sure a hand as any available at this point to play behind McCarthy. Plus, his veteran know-how could also be valuable to McCarthy's continued development.
In the grand scheme, prospects for both teams remain exactly the same: The Eagles are hoping Hurts can lead a successful Super Bowl defense and the Vikings want to see McCarthy live up to their every expectation.
Still, the backup quarterback situation, so often underappreciated, is vital to get right.
Both squads believe they've made a move to do so Sunday. It's all a part of the necessary roster shuffle as Tuesday's 53-man roster deadline nears.
