Pete Carroll and Geno Smith appear to mesh their personalities well because the quarterback was clearly happy to be playing under the head coach. So much so that after Carroll was fired by Seattle and then hired by the Las Vegas Raiders, Smith was excited to join him there.
The difference was that Carroll didn't necessarily want to leave his job with the Seahawks, and Smith requested to leave. One might assume that both harbor some ill will against the Seattle organization, but Carroll would have more of a right to his anger.
But this is Pete Carroll we are talking about. He is an ever-positive person who rarely utters a harsh word. He certainly hasn't said anything negative about his former team.
Pete Carroll and Geno Smith take different approaches to their new team playing the Seattle Seahawks
Neither has Geno Smith, though secretly, one would have to assume he has. If he wanted to be traded, which general manager John Schneider obliged when shipping the quarterback to Vegas this offseason, then he must have felt some negativity about the Seahawks.
Which is why it is odd how each is talking to the media about the Raiders' first preseason game of 2025 versus Seattle. Smith is normally the more stoic of the two, unless he is giving an on-field interview directly after a meaningful game. Carroll is the more bubbly.
Not this week. Smith told the Vegas media, "Man, looking forward to it. Looking forward to seeing my old teammates, old coaches, people in the building. It will be fun. Also going back with Pete, that’s pretty cool. Another opportunity to compete with my guys, that’s what it’s all about."
Fair enough, and that's straightforward factual information, but Smith doubled down: "It means everything. It means a lot to me. It was a place I called home for six years. I had a son there and I was able to really just turn my career around...Just really special things, special thoughts when I think about it."
Carroll stayed with the more direct, less feeling approach. He told the press, "It’s the only game we got and it happens to be in Seattle. I love my time in Seattle and love the fans and the people that we met and dealt with, but it’s a game for us and we’re gonna play ball."
That comes across as almost Belichickian. Not quite as bad as "on to Cincinnati," but not far off either. Perhaps, the head coach doesn't want to make the game all about him and Geno Smith. He does have a job to get his team ready for the regular season, and not be distracted by a meaningless game. After all, Smith is not expected to play.
Ultimately, that is what the Seattle Seahawks versus the Las Vegas Raiders is. However, if the game were Week 1 of the real season, then everything would be different. It is too bad that NFL schedule makers didn't go that route, but they were limited by the opponents each team could play. That changes in 2026 when Seattle will travel to Las Vegas for a regular season contest.