Pete Carroll Has Eye On Former Starting QB

The rumors are true. Seattle does have a former starting quarterback in mind to become the heir apparent to Russell Wilson. But it’s not who you think. Sorry, Baker.

Seattle coach Pete Carroll is eyeing recent Seahawks backup, Geno Smith, a current free agent who started three games for Seattle last fall.

“I’d like to get Geno hooked up and get him back in (here),” Carroll told Seattle’s 710 AM KIRO on Tuesday.

Should Carroll’s hopes come to fruition, that all but shuts the door on the rumored Mayfield-to-Seattle trade scenarios. As OutKick’s Sam Amico alluded, backing off from Baker is becoming a trend around the NFL.

Pete Carroll says again that he wants Geno Smith back. If that happens, Geno is “out in front of the other guys” in the QB competition because of his experience in this system.

— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) March 22, 2022

Smith has spent the last three seasons with the Hawks, playing in five games, and Carroll says that if he signs back with Seattle, he’ll get the first crack at replacing Wilson – even ahead of Drew Lock, whom the team acquired from Denver in the Wilson trade.

“He showed us a good deal of command of our offense when he played last year, and he has a terrific understanding of it. So he’s out in front of the other guys that are involved in the competition in that regard,” said Carroll, via 710 AM KIRO.

When Wilson was injured last season, Smith stepped in and performed reasonably well, completing 68% of his passes for 702 yards with five touchdowns and just one interception.

Good enough numbers to catch Carroll’s eye.

Follow along on Twitter: @OhioAF