Aug 7, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll during the second half against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Pete Carroll goes to bat for Geno Smith over double-bird incident with Seahawks fan

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Jon Alfano | Last updated Aug 12, 2025 10:00 AM ET

From the moment the NFL announced that the Seattle Seahawks and Las Vegas Raiders would open their preseason against each other at Lumen Field, everyone knew there'd be fireworks.

Earlier this offseason, the Raiders brought in two very important figures from the Seahawks' recent past. In January, they hired Pete Carroll as their new head coach, bringing him back to the game one year after his legendary Seahawks tenure came to a tumultuous end. Then in March, they traded for quarterback Geno Smith, who revived his career in Seattle and was the team's starter for the past three seasons.

While the two teams unfortunately won't meet in the regular season, the league couldn't resist the matchup in the preseason. As expected, there was some emotion from the Seahawks faithful, for better or worse.

Seahawks fan taunts Geno Smith at preseason opener

As the Raiders were running out of the tunnel, one fan made himself known by holding up a sign that read "Bigger Bust - Geno Smith or JaMarcus Russell." Smith understandably did not appreciate the sign, as he held up both of his middle fingers at the fan while he was running on to the field. Raiders star defensive end Maxx Crosby also made the same gesture right behind Smith.

Smith's actions generated some controversy, but not for Carroll. When asked about the situation on Sunday, Carroll adamantly defended his quarterback with just a few words.

Pete Carroll has his QB's back pic.twitter.com/9c75vLbP96
— Nick Walters (@nickwalt) August 10, 2025

"Did you see what the sign said?" Carroll said. "Next question."

Carroll also jumped up to try and take the sign, so there's no doubt how he feels about it.

It's easy to see why the Raiders took exception to that sign. Russell, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft by the then-Oakland Raiders, is arguably the biggest bust in NFL history, playing a grand total of 31 games over three seasons while throwing more interceptions than touchdowns. Smith may have flamed out with the New York Jets, the team that drafted him, and taken years to become a consistent starter again, but he has forged at least a respectable career for himself. Better late than never, as they say.

Smith didn't play much against his former team, starting just one drive while completing one of three passes for 15 yards. As such, the Raiders will have to wait to see what they truly have in the former Seahawks starter.

This article first appeared on Seattle Seahawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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