"I Had To Chuckle": Pete Carroll Reacts to Jets' Geno Smith Trade

Geno Smith's 2025 pairing with the Las Vegas Raiders didn't go as initially planned.

Smith was reunited with Pete Carroll, his former head coach for several seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. But it just didn't work. Now, the 35-year-old Smith has officially been traded to the New York Jets, the place where his NFL career began — and Carroll told ESPN's Rich Cimini that he thinks Smith will "rebound" in his return to the Big Apple.

The longtime NFL head coach explained that he had quite the reaction upon learning of Smith's trade to the Jets.

Carroll reacts to Geno Smith-Jets trade

Dec 28, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) looks to throw in the first quarter against the New York Giants at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"I had to chuckle a little bit because of the history and all," Carroll said in an exclusive interview with Cimini on Wednesday.

Smith threw for 3,025 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2025, but he also led the league with 17 interceptions. He earned a 60.9 overall PFF grade, ranking 36th out of 43 qualified quarterbacks.

"He's a phenomenal quarterback, he really is," Carroll said. "He had a fantastic offseason and preseason with us, and he comes out in the first game, has a great first game. It was all fitting...

"We should've had him better prepared for the things that happened, and that wouldn't have happened. I take a lot of responsibility in that. We didn't prepare him well enough in the offseason even though he looked great and we felt we had everything lined up. It was very, very disappointing for us both."

As for Smith's failed experiment in Las Vegas, Carroll said the Raiders didn't "buy" a new offensive line, which is why the quarterback play struggled. Smith had an average time-to-throw of 2.79, which ranked 26th in the NFL, according to PFF.

Carroll was relieved of his head coaching duties the day after the regular season ended — and with Las Vegas securing the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the writing was on the wall for Smith's departure.

But Smith isn't writing back.

The veteran quarterback said he still believes in his capabilities, telling The Exhibit's Josina Anderson that he's "one of the better quarterbacks in the league." While it didn't show up on paper in 2025, Smith has proven in recent years that he's capable of guiding a team to the playoffs, as he did with the Seahawks in 2022.

Carroll told Cimini that he's "in favor" of Smith's return to New York, expressing his happiness for the quarterback, who was dealt along with a 2026 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick.

"If he figured out [New York] was a good place for him and he wanted to do it, and he was part of the decision, then I couldn't support him more," Carroll said. "If he saw the reasoning and felt the support and the opportunity, I couldn't be in more favor of it. I love the guy and want the very best for him. He deserves it. He worked really hard to get where he is."