Russell Wilson Announces NFL Retirement After 14 Seasons

Published: June 5, 2026

By Hermes Devin

Russell Wilson closed his NFL career this week after 14 seasons, turning from the field to the broadcast desk with gratitude for the game that shaped much of his life.

“As I enter this next chapter with CBS Sports and ‘The NFL Today,’ I’m so blessed to continue doing what I love most — being around the greatest game in the world,” Wilson said in a retirement video, according to ESPN.

Wilson, a 10-time Pro Bowl quarterback and the 2020 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, announced Wednesday that he is retiring from the NFL and joining CBS Sports as an analyst for THE NFL TODAY. Fox News reported that Wilson shared the news through a social media video that moved through his childhood, college career and NFL highlights.

“I remember the moment I fell in love with football,” Wilson said in the video, according to Fox News. “Waking up before sunrise with my dad and brother. Deep post routes and ‘moon balls.’ Yeah, that’s where it all began.”

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Wilson entered the league as a third-round pick by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2012 NFL Draft after playing at NC State and Wisconsin. He quickly became one of the NFL’s most recognizable quarterbacks, leading Seattle to an 11-5 record as a rookie and helping turn the Seahawks into one of the league’s toughest teams.

His highest professional moment came in his second season, when Seattle defeated the Denver Broncos 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII. Wilson and the Seahawks returned to the Super Bowl the following season but lost to the New England Patriots after Malcolm Butler intercepted Wilson at the goal line in one of the most remembered plays in championship history.

Wilson spent 10 seasons in Seattle, throwing for 37,059 yards and 292 touchdowns with the Seahawks, according to Fox News. His full career included stops with the Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants, and ESPN reported that he retires with 46,966 passing yards, 353 touchdown passes and 114 interceptions.

The move follows a playing career that was both decorated and uneven in its final stretch. Wilson was traded to Denver after the 2021 season, later played one season in Pittsburgh, and finished with the Giants after the team drafted Jaxson Dart as its quarterback of the future.

Even as the football side changed, Wilson used his farewell to thank the people who helped him along the way. He singled out former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, who gave him his first NFL opportunity despite questions about his size.

“To Coach Carroll, thanks for taking a chance on the young, 5’11” black kid from Richmond, Virginia who was told he was too small to ever make it in the NFL,” Wilson said, according to Fox News. “We knew what winning was like.”

Wilson also thanked teammates, fans and family, including his wife, singer Ciara. CBS News reported that Wilson will replace Matt Ryan on THE NFL TODAY after Ryan left the program for a front-office role with the Atlanta Falcons.

For families who followed Wilson’s career, his retirement offers more than a list of statistics. It is a reminder that public success still rests on private disciplines: gratitude, perseverance, humility and the willingness to keep serving when one season of life gives way to another.

“To every teammate I’ve had the privilege of sharing the locker room with, thank you for the sacrifices, the brotherhood, the memories,” Wilson said, according to Fox News. “None of this is possible without you.”

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