THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Maybe the Seahawks future quarterback was here the entire time

It feels like a done deal.

Sam Howell, who has never taken a snap for the Seahawks, may very well be plugged in as the club’s quarterback of the future.

Fans in the Northwest can be forgiven for thinking that job was taken, and that Geno Smith’s multi-year contract proved it.

Most of us have only seen Howell in action once, when he almost dragged a dreadful Washington team into overtime at Lumen Field last November.

The Seahawks won that matchup 29-26 on a late Jason Myers field goal, but the result certainly wasn’t Howell’s fault.

The second-year pro from North Carolina was getting knocked around in his first season as a starter (taking 65 sacks on a four-win team), but he managed to nick the Seahawks for 29 completions on 44 attempts for 312 yards and three touchdowns.

Seahawks GM John Schneider already admired Howell, and that game in November clearly did nothing to dim his enthusiasm.

“He’s a gunslinger,” Schneider said the following March, after he traded fourth- and sixth-round draft picks to bring Howell to Seattle. “He’s got some electricity, you know, that ‘it factor’ that the special ones have.”

AT THE time, most observers assumed that Howell, who was a fifth-round selection in the 2022 draft, was being acquired simply as insurance behind Smith.

It was the logical path, considering that the Hawks are giving Geno $26.4 million this coming season as part of a three-year deal.

Despite that wattage that lit up Schneider, Howell only won the starting job in Washington for the final game of the 2022 season, and then spent last year getting beat up — and throwing a league-high 21 interceptions to go with 21 touchdowns.

Sam definitely seemed to be on a learning curve.

Meanwhile, though, plenty of other things were changing in Seattle.

Pete Carroll was shown the door after missing the playoffs twice in three seasons, and 36-year-old Mike Macdonald — super successful defensive coordinator in Baltimore — was hired to breathe new life into the Seahawks.

Macdonald and Schneider are understandably looking some way down the road.

Peering through that lens, Smith doesn’t really make sense as a long-term starter for a team that’s doing some serious remodeling.

Geno is 34, and although he’s had two decent seasons as the starter in Seattle, he’s basically hit his ceiling.

Howell, on the other hand, is blessed with tremendous physical tools and — at least in the eyes of Schneider and Macdonald — simply needs good coaching and some experience.

“Sam can do a lot of things,” Schneider said. “He’s not going to be stuck in the pocket.

“The more he plays in the right setting, the better his decisions will be on throwing off-schedule, or running when the situation calls for it.

“He’s a heck of an athlete, and he’s younger than Bo Nix, Michael Penix and quite a few of the quarterbacks in this year’s draft.”

HOWELL can certainly get out and go when he feels the situation calls for it.

He ran for six TDs last season, and was a bona fide rushing threat when he came into the NFL.

“He’s a physical kid at his size (6-foot-1, 220 pounds), and he can move,” Schneider said.

“That’s now gotten to be something you really need at this level.”

Although the Seahawks still list Smith (who would carry a cap hit of $38 million in 2025) as their starting quarterback for this year, they’ve given plenty of hints that they’re excited about a change for the long haul.

Howell has two more years on his rookie contract, and will make $985,000 this season.

If you doubt Howell’s spot in the Hawks’ plans, consider that they ignored the quarterback spot entirely in the draft (despite rumors that they would try to trade for Penix), and the coaches are mega-pleased with what they’ve seen since off-season workouts began on April 8.

“I’m impressed with Sam, how he operates,’’ Macdonald said. “We’re building it slow offensively. The whole playbook is not in, but his command of the huddle, we’re impressed with him.

“He can spin it out there, that’s easy to see. Just getting used to his personality, you know, I think he’s starting to blossom a little bit more, that personality’s starting to come out — but we’re really excited about him.”

Here’s the truth: You need a sizzle guy, a franchise QB, to win big in the NFL.

Everybody wants to find one, that elite quarterback who ultimately can get you to the Super Bowl.

Now, the Seahawks are talking like they’ve found one.

Howell as the future in Seattle?

Don’t bet against it.

“I can’t tell you what our long-term plan is, because I honestly don’t know,” Schneider said.

“But Sam is a huge part of it.”

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”