Ex-Seahawks QB Russell Wilson announces retirement from NFL

Former Seattle Seahawks star quarterback Russell Wilson is officially retiring from the NFL and heading to the broadcast booth.

Wilson, 37, made the announcement in a retirement video posted to social media on Wednesday with the caption: “Thank You, Football.”

Thank You, Football.

Love, #3 pic.twitter.com/hqlS7kWQpy

— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) June 3, 2026

Wilson’s announcement came two days after it was reported that the 10-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion was finalizing a deal to become a CBS Sports analyst on “The NFL Today” pregame show. Wilson is set to replace former longtime Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan on “The NFL Today” crew. Ryan left the show this offseason to become the Falcons’ president of football.

“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 the 3-minute, 16-second video.

Over his 14-year NFL career, Wilson threw for 46,966 yards, 353 touchdowns and 114 interceptions. He also ran for 5,568 yards and 31 TDs. He’s the only player in NFL history to eclipse both 40,000 passing yards and 5,000 rushing yards in a career.

Wilson, who led the Seahawks to two Super Bowl appearances and the franchise’s first Super Bowl title, gave a shout-out to Seattle in the video. He didn’t specifically address any of the other three NFL teams he played for.

“To Seattle, you raised me,” Wilson said. “Not just all the wins and crazy-loud games, but also the forever memories after we won the Super Bowl. But even more important, the kids at Seattle Children’s Hospital, you gave me hope and belief in a better tomorrow. And hopefully I did the same for you.”

Wilson also thanked Pete Carroll, who was the head coach for all 10 of Wilson’s seasons in Seattle.

“To coach 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,” Wilson said. “We knew what winning was like. And to every teammate I’ve had the privilege of sharing the locker room with, thank you for the sacrifices, the brotherhood, the memories. None of this is possible without you.”

Drafted by Seattle as a third-round pick in 2012, Wilson quickly established himself as one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks during his success-filled decade with the Seahawks.

Known for his immaculate deep passes and Houdini-like scrambling ability, the 5-foot-11 Wilson racked up 37,059 passing yards, 4,689 rushing yards and 316 total touchdowns with Seattle. Along the way, he received three top-four finishes in Offensive Player of the Year voting and was the NFL’s 2020 Walter Payton Man of the Year.

In March 2022, Seattle dealt Wilson to the Denver Broncos in a blockbuster trade that sent both parties in opposite directions. For the Seahawks, the trade netted them a slew of draft capital that helped kickstart the process of building their 2025 Super Bowl-winning team. But for Wilson, it marked the beginning of his career’s downward trajectory.

After leaving Seattle, Wilson went 17-27 as a starting quarterback while playing for three teams in four seasons. He went 11-19 as Denver’s starter in 2022-23, 6-5 as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starter in 2024 and 0-3 as the New York Giants’ starter in 2025 before being replaced by first-round draft pick Jaxson Dart.

According to ESPN, Wilson reportedly had an offer on the table this offseason to join the New York Jets as Geno Smith’s backup. Smith was Wilson’s backup in Seattle from 2019-21.

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