NEW YORK — Ten-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson confirmed Wednesday in a video posted to social media that that he’s retiring from the NFL to take a job with CBS Sports.
The 37-year-old’s announcement came two days after multiple media outlets cited anonymous sources in reporting that Wilson was finalizing a deal to become an analyst on the CBS network’s Sunday pregame show.
“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,” he said in the video.
Wilson played 14 seasons in the NFL after being taken by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round of the 2012 draft out of Wisconsin, where he spent his final college season after three years at North Carolina State.
He spent his first 10 pro seasons with the Seahawks, leading them to their first Super Bowl championship in the 2013 season (when they beat the Denver Broncos) and a return to the big game the following season (when they lost to the New England Patriots). He was traded to the Broncos after the 2021 season and spent two rocky years in Denver before playing one season with the Pittsburgh Steelers and another with the New York Giants.
Wilson threw for 46,966 yards with 353 touchdown passes and 114 interceptions in his NFL career.
He joined Peyton Manning and Dan Marino — each elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility — as the only quarterbacks to throw at least 20 touchdown passes in each of his first three NFL seasons.
One of seven quarterbacks selected to 10 Pro Bowls, Wilson is the only player in NFL history with at least 30 touchdown passes and fewer than 15 interceptions in four straight seasons. He also had three seasons with at least 30 touchdown passes and 500 rushing yards, which is the most in NFL history.
In the three-minute video, he thanked his teammates, friends and family, giving special mention to former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.
“Thanks for taking a chance on a young 5-11 Black kid from Richmond, Virginia, that was told he was too small to ever make it in the NFL,” said Wilson, the shortest starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl.
Wilson will replace Matt Ryan, who joined the Atlanta Falcons as president of football in January after two seasons on “The NFL Today.” Wilson had considered returning for a 15th season, telling the New York Post last month that he was mulling an offer to join the New York Jets and back up Geno Smith.
His video featured highlights from his career and footage of him visiting patients at Seattle Children’s Hospital. It ended with him thanking his wife, Ciara, and the sport he dedicated his life to.
“I thank you, football. … I am forever grateful,” he said.