Another ex-Seahawk, longtime Pete Carroll assistant lands advisor role with Carolina Panthers
Carl Smith worked for Pete Carroll in three different stops, and now his first post-Seahawks job is with a former Carroll assistant.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JANUARY 02: Associate Head Coach Carl Smith looks on before the game against the Detroit Lions at Lumen Field on January 02, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) | Getty Images The Carolina Panthers have a thing for former Seattle Seahawks. Their head coach, Dave Canales, was a longtime assistant under Pete Carroll.
General manager Dan Morgan might have been a former linebacker for Carolina, but he also worked a whopping eight seasons in various scouting and front office roles for Seattle. There are several former Seahawks up and down Carolina’s coaching staff and player roster, and now we can add another one to the list. Carl ‘Tater’ Smith has been chosen to replace Jim Caldwell as a senior advisor.
Smith’s son, Tracy, is Carolina’s special teams coordinator. Longtime NFL/college head coach Jim Caldwell is no longer with Panthers in sr coaching advisor role. Dave Canales brought in Carl "Tater" Smith in a similar role in a remote capacity.
Smith, longtime Seahawks' assistant, is father of Panthers ST coord Tracy Smith. — Joe Person (@josephperson) May 18, 2026 Carl Smith was the Seahawks’ quarterbacks coach from 2011 to 2017, then he moved to associate head coach in 2018. He had a quick stop in Houston for two seasons before ending the Pete Carroll era with three more years as an associate head coach.