Geno Smith Flips Bird to Seattle Fans Leading New Team Out Tunnel

Last night at the first Seattle Seahawks preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders, I was really disappointed in two former Seahawks that I used to look up to.

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Geno Smith’s NSFW Hand Signal to the Crowd

My disappointment started with Geno Smith. When the Raiders ran onto the field as a team, Geno noticed a Seattle fan holding a sign that read,

"BIGGER BUST – GENO OR JAMARCUS RUSSELL."

Instead of brushing it off, Geno responded by flipping the bird, not just at the fan, but to the entire crowd with both hands up, spinning around with full middle fingers.

He circled while making the gesture, showing it was targeted at the whole fan base. It was an immature public display of frustration, and honestly was hard to watch. This is a guy I used to root for.

A Complicated Return to Seattle

Geno Smith, once the Comeback Player of the Year in Seattle after replacing Russell Wilson in 2022, had a rough 2024 season. He threw four red zone interceptions, each one could’ve changed the Seahawks' playoff hopes. After that slump, the team traded him to Las Vegas.

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His return to Lumen Field was dramatic. Fans showed love early on, but things turned fast. Geno’s outburst wasn’t just immature, it was sad. This was a guy who had fans in Seattle who believed in his redemption story.

Geno went 1 of 3 for 15 yards in limited action during the 23-23 tie. But that score doesn’t show how poorly the Raiders' starters played, especially against Seattle’s second and third stringers.

Pete Carroll’s Unexpected Behavior

What shocked me even more was what happened just before Geno's “bird”. Raiders head coach Pete Carroll, yes, our Pete, was caught on camera trying to jump up and rip that sign out of the fan’s hands.

The thing that most people do not realize is that “fan” has been doing the same thing for at least 15 years. As long as I have been going to Seahawks games, he has been there with a different sign, yelling at the opponents. Pete knows that.

I always thought of Pete as someone who would take the high road, the guy who preached “always compete,” but did it with class. I guess that was just the Seahawks version of him. Last night, he fully leaned into what it means to be a “Raider.”

Geno’s reaction didn’t surprise me. It’s exactly what we saw at times during his Seattle tenure. But I never expected Pete Carroll to stoop to that level. That part just made me really sad.