Carl Smith

Carl Hamilton Smith (born April 26, 1948) is an American football coach who is a senior assistant for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Smith formerly was the associate head coach for the Seattle Seahawks. He had previously served as quarterbacks coach of the Cleveland Browns and offensive coordinator for the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints.

Early life Smith attended Wasco Union High School in Wasco, California.

College career Smith started his college playing career at Bakersfield College, a junior college in Bakersfield, California, where he played quarterback from 1966 to 1967. He transferred to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he played two seasons at defensive back from 1969 to 1970. Smith earned his bachelor's (1971) and master's (1972) degrees in physical education from Cal Poly, as well as a teaching credential.

Coaching career From 1997 to 1999, Smith was an assistant coach for the New England Patriots, at the time led by head coach Pete Carroll.

Smith was fired from the Jaguars on January 2, 2007. After taking two years off from football, he was hired on January 6, 2009, to be the quarterbacks coach at USC; he had held the position for the 2004 season, when the Trojans won a national championship and quarterback Matt Leinart won the Heisman Trophy. However, after only two weeks on the job, he left USC to join the Cleveland Browns.

Smith was hired to be quarterbacks coach of the Seahawks, effective February 24, 2011. He won his first Super Bowl title when the Seahawks defeated the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.

On February 5, 2019, Smith was hired as the quarterbacks coach for the Houston Texans. The Seahawks brought him back as the team's associate head coach on March 3, 2021.

On May 18, 2026, the Carolina Panthers hired Smith to serve as the team's top senior advisor.