“I think for me, personally, I’m not done. I’ve got so much belief in myself, and I know what I’m capable of.” Russell Wilson said that after the New York Giants benched him in favor of rookie Jaxson Dart during the 2025 season. At that time, retirement never crossed the quarterback’s mind, considering Wilson wanted to play in his early 40s. He’s currently 37.

Just under a year later, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Wilson is reportedly finalizing a deal with CBS to become a sports analyst. Wilson will leave professional football to join James Brown, Nate Burleson, and Bill Cowher on the network’s pregame show.

The development surfaced exactly a month after The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported that the quarterback is the leading candidate to join CBS’s pregame show, The NFL Today. The network has yet to make anything official. But if Wilson ultimately signs with CBS, he would replace Matt Ryan, who departed after three seasons to become the Atlanta Falcons’ President of Football.

The 37-year-old quarterback has already worked with the network during his playing career. Most recently, during his one-year stint with the Giants, Wilson served as a guest analyst for CBS during the team’s bye week. Since then, he has frequently been linked to a future in broadcasting, with CBS emerging as the frontrunner to land the 10-time Pro Bowler.

But that interest in broadcasting was complicated when reports surfaced suggesting the New York Jets were interested in signing Wilson to back up Geno Smith ahead of the 2026 season. Reports came out that Wilson visited the Jets’ facility shortly after the 2026 NFL Draft. At the same time, Smith reportedly liked the idea of having Wilson serve as his backup.

However, with the news officially being confirmed, the one-time Super Bowl winner will be looking forward to providing highly nuanced analysis from the studio about games, which would eventually mark an end to his 14-year NFL career.

The Jets allowed Russell Wilson to sign a deal to back up Geno Smith

Ever since departing from the Seattle Seahawks, Russell Wilson has bounced around the league over the past few years. The veteran quarterback first landed with the Denver Broncos, followed by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and eventually the Giants. In 2026, however, the 37-year-old had an opportunity to extend his NFL career by signing a deal with the Jets.

After his Jets visit, Wilson told the New York Post that the Jets had allowed him to sign a contract. The veteran quarterback described the visit as “great,” adding, “They offered me, and I’m trying to figure out what the next best thing is for me to do. I still know I can play ball at a high level, but also I think the opportunity to do TV [analysis] is great, so we’ll see what happens.”

That said, Wilson will be the latest quarterback to enter the broadcasting world after the likes of Tony Romo, Troy Aikman, and Tom Brady. He’ll be heading to his new career as a 10-time Pro Bowler, a Super Bowl champion, and Walter Payton Man of the Year. And with that, we can say that Russell Wilson has decided to pivot his career rather than being a backup quarterback in the NFL.