Pete Carroll has Geno Smith’s back.
The new Raiders coach, 73, defended his quarterback Sunday when asked about Smith’s decision to flip off a Seahawks fan during Thursday’s preseason game, which served as the duo’s Seattle homecoming.
“Did you see what the sign said?” Carroll said in a media session, according to Yahoo Sports.
When a reporter replied they had seen the sign, Carroll — who coached Smith for five years in Seattle — responded, “Next question.”
Upon running out of the tunnels at Lumen Field before the start of Las Vegas’ preseason opener, Smith — who spent six seasons in Seattle before being traded to the Raiders in March, two months after Carroll signed on with the team — was greeted by one fan who held up a sign that read, “Bigger bust — Geno or JaMarcus Russell.”
Smith, 34, and teammate Maxx Crosby responded to the dig by making obscene gestures toward the stands, with footage of the scene naturally making the rounds on social media.
Carroll, who coached the Seahawks from 2010 through 2023, was also seen trying to grab the sign.
Russell is widely considered one of the NFL’s biggest draft busts, as the Raiders’ first-overall pick in 2007 went 7-18 as a starting quarterback.
While Smith also got off to a rocky NFL start in 2013, when the Jets selected him in the second round of the draft, he revitalized his career upon arriving in the Pacific Northwest in 2019.
In 2022, his first year as the Seahawks’ starting quarterback, Smith earned a Pro Bowl nod and was named Comeback Player of the Year.
The Seahawks awarded Smith a three-year, $75 million contract in 2023, in what would be Carroll’s final season with the team.
He threw for 4,283 passing yards in 2024, surpassing his own single-season record from 2022 (4,282).
The Raiders, who extended Smith in April on a two-year, $75 million contract, open the season on the road against the Patriots Sept. 7.