Russell Wilson drew free agent interest from at least one NFL team this spring, but he will not continue his playing career in 2026. The veteran quarterback is instead set to try his hand at broadcasting.
Wilson is finalizing an agreement with CBS to work as an analyst, as first reported by Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports. Wilson was linked one month ago to CBS, so today’s news comes as little surprise. It does, of course, also represent an indication his NFL career has come to an end.
In May, the Jets made an offer to the 37-year-old. No deal was reached, however, and no arrangements with other teams seemed imminent this spring. Wilson made clear his intention of continuing to play in 2026, and he expressed a desire to remain in New York after spending 2025 with the Giants. For at least one season, though, his attention will turn to a TV gig. Wilson will likely serve as Matt Ryan‘s replacement on CBS’ The NFL Today this fall.
Ryan had a short tenure in that capacity before choosing to take charge of the Falcons’ front office this offseason. That vacancy is now set to be filled by another quarterback with a decorated resume. Wilson has a Super Bowl championship to his name along with an appearance in another title game. The 10-time Pro Bowler enjoyed a highly successful run in Seattle which lasted from 2012-21; over that span, Wilson was widely viewed as being on a Hall of Fame track.
Things have taken a turn for the worse since that time. Wilson was dealt to the Broncos in a blockbuster trade, a swap which did not produce the desired result for Denver. After serving as QB1 during Nathaniel Hackett‘s disastrous campaign as head coach, Wilson clashed early and often with Sean Payton. His statistical output rebounded to an extent, but before the 2023 season ended it was clear the organization would be moving on. The Broncos proceeded with a release, allowing Wilson to take a low-cost deal with the Steelers.
Upon returning to the lineup following a calf injury, Wilson remained atop Pittsburgh’s depth chart. He led the team to a wild-card appearance, but team and player parted ways last spring. That resulted in the Giants lining up a deal as part of their QB changes. New York added Wilson and Jameis Winston along with the first-round selection of Jaxson Dart. Wilson opened the campaign as the Giants’ QB1, but he was benched after making three starts. Dart took over starting duties, while Winston is still in the fold as his backup.
A Wilson-Jets agreement would have given the team another experienced signal-caller to pair with Geno Smith, who was acquired via trade this spring. With no signing having taken place, though, a Jets backup competition is now set to take place. It will be interesting to see if injuries during training camp result in the Jets – or any other team – circling back to Wilson as an insurance option.
Failing that, attention will turn to how things play out on the analyst front. Wilson has played 222 combined regular and postseason games in the NFL, starting all but three of them. He has amassed over $315MM in career earnings, a figure which ranks fifth all time. Adding to either of those totals will not be possible provided Wilson spends the coming year with CBS, and doing so will increase the chances of him electing to hang up his cleats.
Mr. Mr. Mr unliiiiiiiimited
nose-dived off the age cliff last season. retirement-home levels of slow. surprised he was getting interest anyways.
but great career…. tip of the cap.
The smart move. That job might not be there after his career. He’s still relevant. Better to be in the booth then a back up and fall out of relevancy. Being in the booth and having your face out there can only help you for hall of fame vs sitting on a bench somewhere.
It’s not a huge surprise in my eyes or many others’, I think. To me, this was expected when the news broke of the Jets offering him a deal, and Wilson taking time to mull it over. The fact that he announced that he was considering broadcasting made it apparent that he may not have been 100% committed to moving to a new team and starting prep for a new season, and that’s the sort of thing that takes 100% commitment.
Great career, even with the late drop off. Wilson was easily one of the most elusive QBs of all time, and confounded a lot of defenses in his heyday. Probably the best Seattle quarterback of all time, all things considered (but I will yield to Seattle fans on that). Hats off to Russell.
Expect Russ to start his TV career on a low-level announce team. The one NFL opening that CBS has is further up the food chain and will be filled from within.
Great career but too much drama. Look at Steelers, those choose to go with Aaron Rogers over Russ knowing both are shadows of their younger years. One could argue that Russ is prob playing at a higher level than Rogers at this point in their careers but the drama. Clearly his drama was worse than Rogers and that says a lot!