Russell Wilson has made it official.
In a social-media video posted on Wednesday, Wilson announced his retirement from the NFL and confirmed that he will be working for CBS, on The NFL Today.
A third-round pick in 2012, Wilson won the starting job as a rookie, beating out free-agent arrival Matt Flynn.
Wilson made it to the Pro Bowl nine times in 10 seasons with the Seahawks. Traded to the Broncos in 2022, he had two seasons in Denver, one in Pittsburgh, and one with the Giants.
The Jets had interest in adding Wilson as a backup to Geno Smith, who once backed up Wilson in Seattle. Ultimately, Wilson chose TV over continuing to play.
In the years to come, Wilson’s Hall of Fame candidacy will be debated. Former Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty said on Tuesday’s PFT Live that Wilson was in the second tier of NFL quarterbacks during McCourty’s career, which largely overlapped with Wilson’s.
Still, Wilson had a strong run in the NFL. He defied his size, won a Super Bowl, and was the highest-paid player in the NFL, twice.
Odell Beckham Jr.'s return captured the most headlines, but he was only one of three wide receivers that the Giants signed this week.
Braxton Berrios and JuJu Smith-Schuster also joined the team and the decision to bring in the trio of wideouts was the subject of questions for head coach John Harbaugh at a Wednesday press conference. The Giants lost Gunner Olszewski to a torn Achilles in practice last week and Harbaugh called that “a catalyst,” but said that Malik Nabers’s ongoing recovery from last season’s torn ACL was not part of the equation.
“No, I’d say it’s separate from that. Nothing to do with that,” Harbaugh said, via a transcript from the team. “There’s room enough for Malik and whoever the next four or five receivers are. There’s room enough for all those guys.”
Darius Slayton, Calvin Austin, Darnell Mooney, Isaiah Hodgins, Jalin Hyatt, and third-round pick Malachi Fields are also in the mix at receiver for the Giants, so there won’t be room for all of them when it comes time for the Giants to make decisions about their 53-man roster. That should make for a very competitive first training camp under Harbaugh this summer.
Wide receiver Odell Beckham practiced with the Giants on Wednesday and said it has been “surreal” to return to the team after leaving for the Browns in a trade ahead of the 2019 season.
Beckham spent five seasons with the Giants as their top wideout and won a Super Bowl with the Rams after the 2021 season, but tore his ACL in that game and struggled to find his previous level of play while in brief stints with the Ravens and Dolphins. He sat out the 2025 season and told reporters on Wednesday that “taking a step away from the game was what was best for me” because he felt playing had become “detrimental” to him.
Over time, though, the manner of his departure became “unsettling in my soul” and he felt he wanted another opportunity to show that he can still perform at a high level. Beckham also said that he knows he’s not guaranteed anything beyond that opportunity.
“I came here to earn it. Just work hard every day and be the best I can for the team,” Beckham said, via SNY.
Beckham said that Giants head coach John Harbaugh told him he didn’t want “to bring you here and then have to cut you.” Beckham said he replied that he’ll be “going out on my sword either way it goes” because he will be able to live with that better than he’d be able to live with not knowing how his comeback attempt will play out.
The signing of Falcons receiver Drake London nearly closes the books on the top-10 picks from the 2022 draft. And it’s not a happy ending for the New York Giants.
Of the first 10 players picked in 2022, seven of them have earned extensions. Three have not. Two were picked by the Giants.
Defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux (fifth overall) is in his option year with no expectation of an extension. Offensive lineman Evan Neal (seventh overall) became a free agent in 2026 and re-signed for the one-year minimum.
Most other players taken in the top 10 (Travon Walker, Aidan Hutchinson, Derek Stingley Jr., Sauce Gardner, Drake London, Charles Cross, and Garrett Wilson) have their second deals. (Panthers tackle kem Ekwonu is the lone exception.)
In April, the Giants had two top-10 picks again. They picked linebacker Arvell Reese (fifth overall) and tackle Francis Mauigoa (tenth overall). Time will tell whether it turns out better for the Giants this time around.
The Giants cut veteran kicker Jason Sanders on Tuesday. They needed the roster spot to get wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on the roster.
Sanders’ departure leaves Ben Sauls and rookie Dominic Zvada as the kickers on the roster. Sauls was 8-for-8 on field goals for the Giants in 2025.
Sanders, who missed last season with a hip injury, signed with the Giants on March 10. He will leave a $100,000 dead cap hit for the Giants, with the other $200,000 of the guaranteed money containing offset language.
The Dolphins made Sanders a seventh-round pick in 2018, and in seven seasons in Miami, he made 84.6 percent of his field goals and 96.6 percent of his extra points. Sanders is 33-of-48 from beyond 50 yards with a career-long of 57 yards.
He made first-team All-Pro in 2020.
