Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll was impressed with Geno Smith in 2022 after a reinvigorated campaign for the veteran, and he confirmed the process has begun to re-sign the signal-caller.

On ESPN's Seattle Sports radio on Monday, Carroll said there have not been substantive contract talks with Smith, but that the preliminary process has started.

“We're on our way to feel assured that [general manager] John Schneider is all over it. He's got it going,” Carroll said, according to The Seattle Times' Bob Condotta.

Carroll confirmed that Smith wants to stay in Seattle, and wants to have a good team around him next season. When asked about his feelings surrounding the season, Carroll said he felt validated about exceeding expectations this season, and optimistic about the future, but upset about finishing 9-8 and losing in the wild-card round.

I can't come out of a season when we just lost our last game and feel better about our future than I do now,” Carroll said after the Seahawks lost 41-23 to the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday.

Smith completed 25 of 35 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns in the loss, adding 28 rushing yards on four carries. Smith set the Seahawks single-season passing record after throwing for 213 yards in the team's Week 18 win over the Los Angeles Rams, accumulating 4,282 on the season.

It was a remarkable season for Geno Smith, who led the NFL with a 69.8 percent completion rate and 30 touchdown passes while starting all 17 regular-season games for Seattle.

There will certainly be competition between Smith and Drew Lock over the summer for who will be the 2023 starter in Seattle, but it's very possible that the veteran quarterback could be due for a big contract with the team this offseason.