Seahawks' Geno Smith vows to compete with, mentor rookie QB

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith isn't ready to give up his starting job, but that doesn't mean he'll make life difficult for any rookie signal-caller later this year. 

"I love to compete, so I’ll compete with anybody," Smith said Thursday at a news conference related to his new three-year contract, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. "I’m also gonna help them out as much as I can. Same as we did with Drew [Lock]. Our QB room is so tight-knit and we’re all so connected that we act as one. Whether it’s a young guy or someone else, I’m gonna help that player just like any other player on our team be the best that he can be because that’s my job as a leader." 

Smith recently agreed to what was originally reported to be a three-year contract worth up to $105M. However, it's since been pointed out that the agreement could let Seattle move on from the 32-year-old as soon as next winter. 

Per Brady Henderson of ESPN, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll suggested during a radio interview earlier this week that he and general manager John Schneider could still use the fifth overall pick of this year's draft to grab a quarterback even after the club retained Smith's services. 

"That opportunity is absolutely there," Carroll explained. "We can do whatever we need to do."

Some may remember how Tennessee Titans veteran Ryan Tannehill generated headlines last spring when he said he was "competing against" and not mentoring then-rookie Malik Willis. Both Willis and Tannehill later insisted everything inside the club's quarterback room was fine, but the issue at the very least made for somewhat of an uncomfortable situation as it pertains to training-camp stories about the team. 

Smith embracing a different approach ahead of the start of the new league year next week likely means plenty to Carroll and Schneider, especially if they're trying to shop pick No. 5 to a quarterback-needy franchise.