Carroll and Smith made an early return to Seattle in a preseason game on Thursday

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Thursday’s preseason game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Seattle Seahawks marked an early homecoming for Raiders head coach Pete Carroll and quarterback Geno Smith.

But Smith’s return wasn’t quite as welcoming, after the veteran was caught flipping off a Seahawks fan holding a sign while he was coming out of the tunnel.

In a news conference Sunday, Carroll was asked early on about the gesture. Carroll quickly jumped to the defense of his quarterback.

“Did you see what the sign said?” Carroll asked. When the reporter confirmed that they had, Carroll kept things moving: “Next question.”

The fan’s provocative sign read, “Bigger Bust — Geno or JaMarcus Russell?” That prompted the reaction from Smith.

Russell, a former No. 1 overall draft pick with a troubled NFL career, lasted only three seasons with the Raiders as quarterback before being released.

(He recently made headlines last summer, after being removed as a volunteer coach and sued by his high school.)

On Thursday, Carroll was seen trying to take down the sign from the fan after the interaction, seemingly understanding the effect it had on Smith.

Smith, who was selected in the second round of the 2013 draft out of West Virginia, was on his way to becoming a career backup before finding his resurgence with the Seahawks.

With Russell Wilson sent to the Denver Broncos, Smith won Seattle’s starting job in 2022, eventually earning his first Pro Bowl nod and the 2022 Comeback Player of the Year.

Carroll, who had coached the Seahawks since 2010, was a mentor for Smith during that time, before he and the team parted ways at the end of the 2023 season.

When Carroll took the Raiders’ coaching job, it was only fitting to have Smith join him.

The veteran QB was traded to Las Vegas in March. Smith eventually signed a two-year extension to keep him out of free agency next offseason.

Thursday’s preseason game ended with a 23-23 tie between Carroll’s old team and his new one.

In a game that primarily featured Aidan O’Connell at QB for Las Vegas, Smith played limited snaps, but went 1-for-3 for 15 yards in the draw.

Rookie second-round draft pick Tyler Shough seems likely to be the New Orleans Saints’ starting quarterback in Week 1. It’s not like they have many great choices.

The Saints are holding a quarterback competition through training camp and preseason, and while Shough had a big mistake on an interception returned for a touchdown, he performed better than his main competition, Spencer Rattler.

Rattler started the game, but it might not be long before Shough overtakes him on the depth chart.

Rattler got the start, a nod to his one year of experience. He didn’t do much with the opportunity.

The Saints punted on their first possession, were stopped on downs after that despite recovering a muffed punt at the Chargers’ 17-yard line, punted again after a three-and-out and then Rattler lost a fumble on a strip sack.

Rattler has some athleticism and got a first down with an 11-yard run on third-and-7 on New Orleans’ fifth drive, but that drive also stalled and ended with a punt.

It wasn’t exactly the type of audition Rattler, a fifth-round pick last year, needed.

He had 53 yards on 7-of-11 passing and the offense scored zero points in nearly a full first half with him at quarterback.

Rattler exited the game with 1:38 left in the second quarter, and Shough came on for his first NFL snaps.

Shough ran the two-minute offense and completed his first pass for 9 yards.

On the next play Shough missed a deep shot down the right sideline, throwing just a bit long, but rebounded quickly for a nice pass for a 12-yard gain and then another 11-yard completion over the middle.

He completed 5 of 7 passes for 42 yards, and had another incompletion when he spiked it to stop the clock. The Saints got their first points of the half with a field goal.

The two-minute offense can simplify things for any quarterback, especially a rookie, but Shough looked very comfortable in that situation.

The third quarter didn’t start as well. The Saints went three-and-out, with Shough taking a sack on third down.

It got worse. The next possession, Shough threw a pick 6. Shough made a bad decision to throw a well-covered out route and cornerback Eric Rogers broke on his pass, intercepted it and returned it 43 yards for the score.

Shough got the touchdown right back. He was well protected and found Mason Tipton wide open downfield for a 54-yard score. It was a good play for the rookie and also showed resilience after a big mistake.

Shough completed 15 of 22 passes for 165 yards, with a touchdown, an interception and he took two sacks. He wasn’t perfect but did some things well.

Jake Haener, who started one game for the Saints last season, took over for Shough with less than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

Shough showed good poise through some mistakes, which you’d expect from a quarterback who will turn 26 years old in September and played part of seven different college football seasons.

Shough had plenty of supporters in the pre-draft process. When the team drafted him and Derek Carr retired, it seemed clear Shough would probably be New Orleans’ starter this season practically by default.

He hasn’t taken the top spot yet, but it might not be too long before he does.