Pete Carroll has clear message for Geno Smith

The Las Vegas Raiders had a disappointing season in NFL legend Tom Brady’s first full season as a minority owner. Brady and the Raiders brought head coach Pete Carroll out of retirement and the last quarterback he had worked with, Geno Smith.

Smith and Carroll went 3-14 in their lone season in the desert together, and both are no longer with the franchise. Carroll was fired, and Smith has been traded to the team he began his career with, the New York Jets.

“I had to chuckle a little bit because of the history and all,” Carroll said on Wednesday of Smith landing back with the Jets, per ESPN,  in his first interview since being fired.

“I love talking about G,” Carroll said. “I think I see him differently than a lot of people see him. I love him and appreciate him differently.”

“He’s a phenomenal quarterback, he really is,” the coach went on. “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. It was exactly the right time for us. Then we just faltered and faltered. We didn’t do well enough, coaching.

“We should’ve had him better prepared for the things that happened, and that wouldn’t have happened,” he continued. “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.”

Carroll is all for Smith giving the Big Apple another go, so long as it’s what Smith wants.

“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,” he 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.”