Russell Wilson has a packed resume from his 14 seasons in the NFL. With a Super Bowl win, 10 Pro Bowl accolades, and the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, Wilson seems to have decided to make the transition to broadcasting at age 37.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Wilson will take over Matt Ryan’s CBS Sports analyst slot, as Ryan took the Atlanta Falcons’ President of Football Operations job.

Wilson confirmed CBS’s interest in him last month in the New York Post. He had a backup offer from the New York Jets to back up Geno Smith, but the CBS offer was better. 

Wilson has 353 career passing touchdowns, ranking 3rd among active players and 5th overall since 2012. ESPN Research states that only Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford have more touchdowns, and Wilson is 5th since 2012 for passing yards (46,966).

Wilson's last few NFL seasons were rocky when he left Seattle to play for Denver on a 5-year, $245 million contract. While that move never saw the best of Wilson, he had a bit of a career resurgence with the Pittsburgh Steelers, bringing them to the playoffs and earning Wilson his 10th Pro Bowl with a 6-5 record for the franchise that year.

Whether this turns out to be a permanent move remains to be seen. A quarterback injury somewhere around the league or the right opportunity in 2027 could still tempt Wilson back onto the field after some time away from the game.

For now, though, the next chapter looks very different. Instead of preparing for Sundays under center, Wilson is set to begin the 2026 season behind the CBS desk.

Largely, he will be a new member of a CBS desk, joining other sports commentators James Brown, Nate Burleson, and Bill Cowher. Wilson will likely have a tough adjustment going from player to commentator. 

Former Quarterback Raises Questions Over Wilson's New Role

Former NFL signal-caller Brock Huard has switched from football to college football commentary for FOX and radio personality for Seattle Sports 710, and is hesitant about Wilson's instincts automatically making the right calls.

"I will be curious to see how transparent he is. He was always so guarded as a player for 15 years, very coachspeak, very cliché driven. I will be very curious to see just how vulnerable and transparent he is." Huard told the Seattle Times.

Huard started at the bottom and worked his way through radio and smaller TV roles. He did this year in and year out.

That being said, other former quarterbacks such as Tony Romo and Tom Brady have also moved to the broadcasting role in the past and have arguably had fewer rungs to climb.

"There are guys where it just doesn't come natural, and they are totally exposed because they didn't get to do what I got to do, which is starting at a lower level and working your way up from the bottom," Huard told the Seattle Times.

Wilson, too, seems to have been offered a higher rung, going straight for a significant high-profile broadcasting role with enormous expectations, and doing it with no practice.

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Written by

Abhay Bharti

Edited by

Aadesh Dhote