While the Dallas Cowboys focus on their future, one of the franchise’s former players is planning a future of his own in the political realm. The former defensive end aims to challenge for the LA Mayor position next year to bring the city closer together.

“I want to be the mayor of L.A. and see how that goes,” Marcellus Wiley said this week, as per Vibe. He added, “I’m trying to stay still and raise these kids, but at the same time, help make an imprint on our city to bring us closer together.”

Before thinking about running for mayor, Marcellus Wiley was already shaping Los Angeles through Project Transition. Launched in 2018, the nonprofit gives underserved youth mentorship, life skills, and opportunities to grow.

The programs are guided by Wiley’s “High‑FIVES” pillars: Family, Intelligence, Value, Experiences, and Sportsmanship. These pillars guide programs from classroom workshops to sports and global experiences.

Wiley played for 10 years in the NFL, representing the Cowboys, Bills, San Diego Chargers, and Jaguars. During his career, he achieved impressive stats, including 44 sacks, 320 tackles, 13 forced fumbles, and two interceptions.

The former defensive end shared that he started thinking about running for mayor in the last year, mainly due to his community work.

Karen Bass has been LA’s mayor since 2022, making history as the city’s first woman and second Black mayor. She’s now eyeing reelection in 2026 amid a crowded field. Former NFL star Herschel Walker once tried a similar leap into politics, running a high-profile Republican Senate campaign in Georgia in 2022.

Marcellus Wiley is planning to run as a Republican for now. He emphasized that he doesn’t believe in being blindly loyal to any party. He thinks that calling oneself independent can sometimes be a way to dodge making a clear choice.

“I don’t take the cop out of independent,” Wiley said. “People say, ‘I’m independent.’ No, you ain’t. Shut it.” Then he explained his mindset by reflecting on his roots. “If I didn’t gang bang, if I didn’t choose Blood, you think I’m picking Democrat or Republican? I’m not loyal like that, I’m not a group, I am me.”

This interest in politics didn’t just appear suddenly. Back in February, he visited the White House, showing he was getting more involved. Lately, he has also talked about a potential future presidential candidate.

Marcellus Wiley backs Stephen A. Smith’s political buzz

Back in January, a surprising name popped up in the 2028 presidential race. A poll by McLaughlin & Associates asked people who they would vote for in the Democratic primary if it were held today. Stephen A. Smith got 2% of the votes from 414 participants.

Although 2% may seem small, it shows that people are considering Smith. However, making this interest into a real campaign will require strong support. If Smith chooses to pursue this, Marcellus Wiley thinks there might already be some influential figures ready to help.

“I know some people with billions who support him and [have] a huge political pull,” Wiley told Vibe earlier this month. “Intimately, I know these people, and they’re rocking with him if he wants to rock all the way and roll to an opportunity like that. He can do it.”

Meanwhile, Wiley also sees a bigger shift coming. He expects more celebrities to step into politics, mainly because they already have a built-in audience.

“I do because just to get the popular vote, just to get the masses, to get an audience, you’ll need to already have one built in,” he said. “They don’t even really know your character as much as they think they do, but it’s the persona, it’s the personality. It’s all these things that add up to what they think your character is, so people rock with you. They feel they know you. You’re in their homes, and they’re more intimate with you at times, in terms of listening and paying attention, than they are with their own family.”

Still, none of this matters until Smith makes it official. Until he takes the step from talking about it to actually launching a campaign, it’s all just speculation.