SEATTLE — After 13 seasons working alongside Pete Carroll, Dave Canales will leave his post as Seahawks quarterbacks coach and join Tampa Bay as their offensive coordinator.
Tampa Bay may not know who is going to play quarterback following Tom Brady's retirement, but Canales will be in charge of calling plays after emerging out of a lengthy list of candidates to take over for Byron Leftwich, who was dismissed after the 2022 campaign.
Canales helped lead the Seahawks to the ninth ranked offense in the league last year, and he'll have his work cut out for him joining a Tampa Bay team that finished 25th.
Could Canales look to bring his biggest success story, Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, along with him for the ride?
That's the big question Seahawks fans are asking following this move, but Locked on Seahawks host Corbin Smith isn't too worried.
"All signs continue to point toward Geno Smith staying in Seattle," Smith said. "I don't think this one departure, as much as Dave Canales was involved in his ascendance this past season, is going to make Geno Smith not want to be in Seattle - and I don't think it's suddenly going to make the Seahawks hesitant to re-sign him."
Smith only started five games from 2015-2021, serving as a backup for the Jets, Giants, Chargers, and Seahawks during that time. After Russell Wilson was traded to Denver, Smith took over as Seattle's starter and shocked the league, throwing for 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns while finishing ninth in MVP voting and winning Comeback Player of the Year Award.
It's hard to say all of that was because of Canales, but it's not hard to see why Tampa Bay wants to bring him on board.
As for Smith, the Seahawks remain interested in bringing him back and as long as the two sides can agree on price - which could be upward of $30 million per year - he's expected to return for Pete Carroll in 2023.