The Seattle Seahawks welcomed an old friend back to the quarterback depth chart on Friday. Drew Lock, who was acquired in the Russell Wilson trade with the Denver Broncos in 2022, is returning to Seattle following a stint with the New York Giants.

There’s no doubt that the Seahawks view Sam Darnold as QB1 right now, but Sam Howell’s status on the roster looks far less certain. Early details of Lock’s contract don’t bode well for Howell’s future in Seattle. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Friday that Lock’s contract is a two-year deal worth $5 million. Last season he got $5 million for one season with the New York Giants, but usually two-year contract free agent signings aren’t on the roster bubble during preseason.

That level of commitment makes Lock both more expensive than Howell and he’s under contract a year longer than the former Washington Commanders starter. Given Seattle’s historical reluctance to roster three quarterbacks on the regular season depth chart, it’s only logical to conclude that the countdown for Howell’s departure is on.

Howell’s contract is a non-guaranteed $1.1 million in base salary, which means whether he’s cut or traded the Seahawks could take on no dead money and regain $1.1 million in cap space this offseason. There’s no rush to move on from Howell but I don’t really see the point in keeping him on board when September rolls around. Howell was the Seahawks’ main backup in 2024, starting no games and turning in a rough emergency performance against the Green Bay Packers when Geno Smith went down with an injury.

Through three seasons in the NFL Howell has gone from QB3 in Washington to QB1 in his second season to QB2 in Seattle and now seemingly QB3 entering his fourth. In the event the Seahawks draft a quarterback early anyway, his fate is completely sealed and he’ll likely be on another team heading into next season.