Raiders HC Pete Carroll Discusses Reunion with Geno Smith

Geno Smith has credited Pete Carroll with helping to trigger his late-career resurgence. And after a year apart, the two are back together with the Raiders. In a recent press conference, Carroll talked about reuniting with Smith in Las Vegas.

“I really feel so fortunate that we were able to get that [trade] done — [GM] John Spytek got it done for us — because of all that he brings,” Carroll said in his press conference. “To me, he’s been emblematic of what a leader should be by his habits and by the way he brings himself every day. He’s the first guy out here. He’s the last guy to leave. It’s really important to him that he stands for what leadership is all about. And he’s a good football player, too, he’s looked great in practice so far. So, we’re really excited about what he’s bringing.”

Carroll then responded to questions about where the pair are chemistry wise after the break.

“We ain’t getting along at all, I mean listen,” Carroll joked. “It’s been a natural transition. From the time we first contacted him and let him know we were in on this deal, and we were trying to see if we could make some sense of it, we were both excited about it. And so I feel, really, like we’re connected at the hip.

“And we have so much background. It’s not just the couple of seasons that he played, it’s all of the years that he was there. Because to me, coaching the next quarterback up is really, really crucial. So, we spent a lot of time — communicating, setting our priorities straight, staying on course, and he’s just been a champion at that. And now, he comes out the other end of that time frame, and he’s an elite quarterback in the league. So, what he brings to us is great confidence. He brings to me — I know we’re going to get great play out of his spot. So, it’s real easy to work that out.”

The Raiders traded for Smith in March after Seattle, where Carroll and Smith first started working together, decided to go in another younger direction and eventually brought in Sam Darnold. Previously in the offseason, Las Vegas hired Carroll to take over as their new head coach.

In his final season in Seattle, Smith threw for 4,320 yards while completing 70.4% of his passes. Smith also ran for 272 yards on the ground. He scored 23 total touchdowns to go along with 15 interceptions, his second highest total from a single season after his rookie year with the Jets.

For a related story, Smith can be seen firing passes to his new receivers.

Find more coverage of Geno Smith at WV Sports Now.