Russell

Wilson

It was recently reported that Wilson was finalizing a contract to become a sports analyst with CBS, so the announcement of his retirement appears nothing more than a formality. The 14-year veteran amassed a remarkable 46,966 yards and 353 touchdowns in 205 appearances for the Seahawks, Broncos, Steelers, and Giants, winning Super Bowl XLVII with the Seahawks. He led the league in passing scores in 2017 and passer rating in 2015, also earning 10 Pro Bowl nods, most recently in 2024 with the Steelers, alongside Offensive Rookie of the Year and the Walter Payton Man of the Year awards. The Jets reportedly offered Wilson a contract earlier this spring but the Super Bowl champ ultimately decided to pursue broadcasting as a member of the CBS pregame crew.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport was quick to point out that Wilson “may not be retiring,” but it would be surprising if the former ten-time Pro Bowler and 2013 Super Bowl champion returned at this point. Wilson was on a Hall of Fame trajectory early in his career, earning the starting job for Pete Carroll’s Seahawks over Matt Flynn as a third-round rookie in 2012. With the help of the legendary Legion of Boom defense, Wilson and the Seahawks dominated the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVII to bring the franchise their first championship title, and fell just short of repeating as champions in 2014. A trade to the Broncos in 2022 didn’t work out as either side had hoped, as Wilson’s five-year, $245 million contract quickly turned into one of the worst deals in the league. After officially moving on to the Steelers in 2024, Wilson played marginally better in his 11 starts, but not well enough to come back in 2025. A forgettable six-game stint with the Giants last season, in which he threw for 831-3-3 on 119 passes, may be the last we see of Mr. Unlimited on the gridiron, as he now prepares to join CBS as a member of their Sunday pregame show. Wilson and the Jets were rumored to have interest in one another earlier this offseason, but this move to TV had been foreshadowed for a while, so it doesn’t come as much of a surprise.

Glenn said he has no update on where things currently stand between the Jets and Russell Wilson, who is reportedly weighing his options between signing with the Jets as a backup or walking away from football to take on a media job. Wilson, 37, threw for 831-3-3 in six games with the Giants last season while completing a career worst 58 percent of his passes. With his best days clearly behind him, if a backup job with the Jets is the best he can get, he could opt to call it a career. If he did sign with the Jets, he would be the early favorite to open 2026 as the team’s QB2 behind Geno Smith.

CBS is reportedly interested in bringing Wilson on as an anayst, and we doubt they are the only network reaching out to the former Super Bowl champion. On the other hand, Wilson visited with the Jets just after the 2026 NFL Draft, and the team is willing to bring him on as their QB2. While it isn’t a glamorous job, it might be Wilson’s last shot at playing in the NFL. For now, Cade Klubnik, Bailey Zappe, and Brady Cook are all on the able as backup options for Geno Smith this year.

According to Marchand, CBS is the favorite to land Wilson, 37, if he were to walk away from the game and enter television, although CBS declined to comment when asked. If he does join CBS, it’s believed Wilson would join “The NFL Today,” CBS’s pregame show, which recently lost Matt Ryan after he was hired to become the president of football for the Falcons. The switch to TV would inevitably put an end to Wilson’s football career. Wilson recently met with the Jets to discuss a possible backup role with them this upcoming season, and spent most of the 2025 season backing up Jaxson Dart after starting the first three games of the season for the Giants. Wilson’s days as a starter are all but up in the NFL, as he’s gone from being a franchise quarterback to a journeyman who has been on three teams in the last four seasons. It wouldn’t be too surprising if he opted to hang it up at this point in his career.

The Jets were tied to other team’s backup quarterbacks for a lot of the offseason, as well as Carson Wentz before Wentz re-signed with the Vikings. This is the resignation stage. Wilson threw for 450 yards and three touchdowns against the Cowboys in Week 2 last year. That actually happened. Also he played some other games that weren’t as good before being benched for Jaxson Dart. On a talent level, there are probably teams with worse backups, but a 37-year-old Russell Wilson probably isn’t anything more than a bar for fourth-rounder Cade Klubnik to try to clear.

Wilson, 37, suffered what he described as a Grade 2 hamstring injury ahead of New York’s Week 2 game against the Cowboys. He said he felt he could not inform the team of the injury and kept it under wraps before throwing for 450 yards and three touchdowns against the Cowboys. “I couldn’t tell anybody,” Wilson said. “I had to go and play on it just because I knew the circumstances. I had to play on it, no matter what. I actually ended up going to the Dallas Mavericks’ facility, training. And, you know, just kept it quiet, just trying to get treatment on it and just knowing that I probably couldn’t run from the goal line to the 10-yard line if I wanted to, but I feel like, you know, I got to play that game.” Wilson lost the starting gig to Jaxson Dart, as expected, and will likely play elsewhere in 2026. Wilson said he wants to continue playing into his age-38 season.

Wilson will end his first, and likely only, season in New York with just three starts and six appearances. He completed 69-of-119 passes (58 percent completion rate) for 831 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions. He also took 10 sacks and had his worst QBR and overall quarterback rating of his career. Wilson will be a free agent this offseason and is unlikely to be signed into a clear starting job. He will almost certainly need to compete for, and win, a job if the 37-year-old wants to continue his playing career.

The Giants threw the ball 13 times in a losing effort against the Vikings last week, so even if Johnson were to play today, his target volume would be difficult to project. His absence gives No. 2 TE Daniel Bellinger a chance to operate as a full-time player, though, putting him on the touchdown-dependent TE1 radar.

Thibodeaux remains out with his shoulder injury, and there’s a good chance he won’t return in 2025. Wilson will again be the emergency quarterback behind Jaxon Dart and Jameis Winston.