Pete Carroll is standing up for Geno Smith.
After a preseason game on Thursday, the new Raiders coach, who is 73 years old, supported his quarterback when asked about Smith’s response to some Seahawks fans.
“Did you see what their sign said?” Carroll commented during a media session, as reported by Yahoo Sports.
When reporters probed further, they seemed to skip ahead to the next question, a bit taken aback. Carroll previously coached Smith for five seasons in Seattle.
As Smith entered Lumenfield before the Las Vegas preseason opener, he was met with a sign held by fans that read, “Big Bust – Russell or Jamarcus?” Smith spent six seasons in Seattle before being traded to the Raiders just two months after Carroll joined the team in March.
Social media captured the moment when Smith and teammate Max Crosby responded to the taunting by making gestures towards the fans, naturally sparking a lot of discussion online.
Carroll, who led the Seahawks from 2010 to 2023, was also spotted trying to get autographs from fans.
Jamarcus Russell is often noted as one of the biggest draft failures in NFL history. The Raiders selected him as their first pick in 2007, and he went on to a disappointing record of 7-18 as a starting quarterback.
Smith’s own NFL beginning wasn’t smooth. Drafted by the Jets in the second round in 2013, he faced a rocky start but found new life after moving to the Pacific Northwest in 2019.
In the 2022 season, Smith earned a Pro Bowl selection and was named Comeback Player of the Year during his first year as a starter for the Seahawks.
Smith signed a three-year, $75 million deal with the Seahawks in 2023, marking a significant phase in his career before this season with Carroll’s new team. In 2024, he threw for 4,283 yards, breaking his own single-season record from 2022 by just one yard.
The Raiders extended Smith with a two-year, $75 million contract in April, and they are gearing up to face the Patriots on September 7.
