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Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll Talks Geno Smith Extension On Seattle Sports 710 AM

Pete Carroll joined the Brock & Salk Show a day after the Seahawks and Geno Smith agreed to terms on a contract extension.

Mar 07, 2023 at 12:19 PM

John Boyle

Seahawks.com Senior Reporter

A day after the Seahawks answered one of the biggest questions of their offseason, agreeing to terms on a contract extension with Pro Bowl quarterback Geno Smith, head coach Pete Carroll joined the Brock and Salk Show on Seattle Sports 710 AM to discuss the news.

Carroll noted that communication between the two sides has been good throughout the offseason, allowing a deal to get done before free agency begins next week, and he also credited Seahawks Chair Jody Allen for her role in the process, which as with all contract negotiations, was led by general manager John Schneider and vice president of football administration Matt Thomas.

"Everybody stayed really on point, communication was great, the focus was there to get something done, so we got it done in timely fashion," Carroll said. "We're ahead of free agency, which we needed to do. Really, everybody is thrilled about it. The owner, Jody, was great about it all the way through. She gave John the freedom to do what he needed to do to make the deal. And in visiting with her yesterday, she was really pleased and excited. She took a lot out of Geno's accomplishments last year and was really proud of him, and is excited for the future moving on. So everybody's connected on it. It's a good deal, a good deal for the club. I think it sends a really good message too to everybody on the outside—this is a good place and things are going in the right direction, and we're fired up about it."

Sorting things out with Smith ahead of free agency was significant for the Seahawks because, as Carroll notes, it sends a good message to potential free agents about the direction of the team, and also because it's the biggest domino that needed to fall for the Seahawks to make other financial decisions.

"It's meaningful in so many areas," Carroll said. "Working together so that we would have an opportunity to continue to compete to bring guys to this club and get guys on our team has been at hand, and now we're rolling. We can plan and we can plan, but until we knock the big one in the boat—the other things that happened, Jason (Myers) was a really big deal, (Nick) Bellore was a really big deal for us, Phil Haynes, those were all really significant steps along the way that were all planned, and they've come off like we'd hoped, so now there's a whole next sequence of things that are going to come together, so here we go."

As impressive as Smith's physical traits were last season as he led the NFL in completion percentage, made his first Pro Bowl and earned Comeback Player of the Year honors, what impressed Carroll most was Smith's approach and mentality throughout the year.

"All of the confidence in the world he gave us by the way he handled himself," Carroll said. "It's not the physical part of it, it's really the other side of it. His view, his perspective throughout was so clear and consistent and he was so confident, and he backed it up. He backed it up with his words and backed it up with his actions, and his teammates know. Every aspect of it, it just worked out really, really well. And this was hard for him. It was a huge challenge, the challenge of a lifetime, and he came through. To see him handling it so well, we marveled at that, and then he never wavered, and so that just gave us all the confidence to continue on."

For the Seahawks or any other team, the ultimate goal, of course, is to win championships, and Carroll didn't hesitate when asked if the Seahawks can win a Super Bowl with Smith at quarterback.

"Heck yeah we can," Carroll said. "He's going to do his part. We have a lot of work to do. We have a lot of stuff to get done, we have a lot of decisions to make, this extraordinary draft coming up has been ongoing too."

As for that draft, Carroll reiterated what he said at the NFL Scouting Combine last week when it came to Seattle's future at quarterback, which was that the Seahawks could very well pick a quarterback early in the first round even after getting a deal done with Smith. The reason the Seahawks would consider a quarterback has nothing to do with their confidence in Smith, but rather with the rare opportunity the Seahawks have holding the No. 5 overall pick.

"That opportunity is absolutely there," Carroll said. "We can do whatever we need to do, which is a whole other discussion that's really exciting. The coaches are working at it, and the scouts are working at it to try to position this thing—when you're at five, this is different than what we're used to seeing. This is really fun, because you can pretty much predict what's going to happen with four different choices, so which one is it?"

Carroll went on to say of the quarterback class, "These guys are really talented. They looked great at the combine, they were great in the interviews. They really did well for themselves, so they didn't make it any easier for us. There's no easy decisions here, but that's OK. This is really fun stuff."

And after seeing Smith seize his opportunity last season and run with it, Carroll has no concerns about how Smith might handle a situation where the Seahawks drafted a quarterback.

"Whatever we do, he's going to take it in stride," Carroll said. "He's not going to worry about anybody. And this, as a reward to what he has done even solidifies his confidence and understanding how much trust we have in him. So if that is to happen, that is a choice for the long haul and the future and all that. We'll see what happens."

The season of his life led to the contract he's been working towards his whole career.

What a journey for @Seahawks QB1, @GenoSmith3. 👏 pic.twitter.com/feEejalLaV
— NFL (@NFL) March 7, 2023

Defensive Coaching Additions Coming Soon

In non-Geno Smith news, Carroll confirmed that the Seahawks will be adding pass-rush specialist Brandon Jordan to the coaching staff. Jordan, who most recently worked at Michigan State, is also a well-known and respected coach for the work he does training NFL pass rushers and defensive linemen, a list that includes current Seahawks Uchenna Nwosu and Al Woods, as well as receiver DK Metcalf.

"Wait until you guys see B.T. Jordan get after it, he'll coach 'em up now," Carroll said. "Pull him up on YouTube, he's all over the place with guys he has worked out. Through the interviews we were going through and the phone calls we got since word has gotten out, he's got his lines out in the water now. He has worked with a lot of people, and a lot of people love what he does and what he brings, so I think it's a really special element…. He's going to be a big part of it, so I'm excited."

Carroll said the Seahawks are also close adding another assistant on the back end of the defense with Sean Desai leaving to become the Eagles' defensive coordinator, though since the deal is not yet finalized he declined to say who is filling that role. That hire won't be stepping into the exact same role as Desai, who was the associate head coach-defense, and Carroll added that Karl Scott will take on more responsibilities in his second season with the Seahawks.

"Karl Scott is going to take a bigger role, and he'll do a great job with the passing game and fill that immediate spot that way," Carroll said. "He'll be the senior assistant and passing game coordinator."

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