Pete Carroll Drops Revealing Commentary About Geno Smith originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Las Vegas Raiders are being built in a completely different manner ahead of the 2025 NFL season. General manager John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll placed a premium on adding competition with each of their offseason moves.
There will be various battles during OTAs, minicamp and training camp that will sort out exactly who will be getting snaps for the Silver and Black. One of the only positions on the roster, however, where competition will not be seen is at quarterback.
Spytek and Carroll went out and got their guy this offseason when they traded a third-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for veteran Geno Smith.
While Smith is a shoo-in to start this season, that has not always been the case for him during his 11-year NFL career. In fact, when he first arrived in Seattle under Carroll, he was the backup for two whole seasons before earning a starting spot.
Carroll spoke to the media on Monday about this aspect of Smith’s character, and it was incredibly revealing of why he advocated for a reunion in Las Vegas.
“Geno just embraced it right from the beginning,” Carroll said. “I’ve never been around a guy who was so consistently focused on ‘I could be playing the very next play and so I’ve got to be ready.’ He did it for years …. We have a lot of common language and common experience. Our communication is tops.”
Smith was a two-time Pro Bowler under coach Carroll in Seattle, and he won the 2022 NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award. He also led the league in completion percentage during the 2022 season, making good on 69.8% of his passes.
The following season, Smith led the NFL with four comebacks in the fourth quarter and five game-winning drives (via Pro Football Reference). He took a step back last season with Mike MacDonald as the head coach in Seattle, but another resurgence is expected thanks to Carroll.
Another thing that speaks to Smith’s character is his team-friendly contract extension that he signed. A two-year, $75 million extension is a gross underpay for this level of quarterback, especially in the current market.
However, Smith has always put the team above himself, and he will continue to do so with the Las Vegas Raiders this season. It’s one of the many reasons that he and Pete Carroll have the level of trust that they do, and that should turn into wins for the Silver and Black.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.