Seahawks HC Pete Carroll addresses future of QB Geno Smith

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll indicated Monday that Geno Smith will remain his starting quarterback through the offseason. 

"He knows this is the best place for him," Carroll said of Smith during an appearance on Seattle Sports 710 AM, per Brandon Gustafson of SeattleSports.com. "He knows that we understand him and appreciate him and love everything that he brings and the leadership. And he loves his guys and his team and coaches – all of that. So it’s a big lovefest.

"And we need to figure it out and make all the right decisions. Can we afford to? Well, if you want to have a great player, you’ve got to pay for stuff … We know where we’re going with this thing, and we’re going to try to make all the right choices." 

The Seahawks traded longtime starter Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos last March and then had Smith compete with Drew Lock for the starting job during the summer. Smith earned the gig and became a revelation serving as Seattle's full-time QB1, and he helped the club earn a postseason berth. 

ESPN stats show that Smith finished the regular season leading the entire NFL with a 69.8% completion percentage. He ranked fifth among eligible quarterbacks with a 100.9 passer rating, sixth with a 61.0 total QBR, eighth with 4,282 passing yards, and fourth with 30 passing touchdowns. 

Smith is on track to hit free agency when the new league year starts in March. Carroll said Monday that "there’s been the preliminary setups and stuff knowing that there’s a timeframe and all that" as it pertains to contract discussions with the veteran signal-caller. 

Smith said after Saturday's 41-23 playoff loss at the San Francisco 49ers that he wants to stay with Seattle, and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport has reported the Seahawks could use the franchise tag to retain the 32-year-old's rights: