New NFL Rumors on Russell Wilson's 'Deep Talks' About Broadcast Career Amid Jets Backup Buzz

Longtime NFL quarterback Russell Wilson reportedly may be on the verge of retirement despite interest from the New York Jets in making him the team's backup.

According to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, Wilson is in "deep talks" to retire and transition to a career in television with The NFL Today on CBS being the favored landing spot.

Marchand's report comes three days after Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reported that the Jets hosted Wilson on a free-agent visit and were "considering him as an option" to be Geno Smith's backup quarterback in 2026.

The 37-year-old Wilson has played 14 NFL seasons, and he is best known for his decade-long run with the Seattle Seahawks.

Nine of Wilson's 10 career Pro Bowl selections came in Seattle, and he went 104-53-1 in 158 regular-season starts for the Seahawks, while completing 65.0 percent of his passes for 37,059 yards, 292 touchdowns and 87 interceptions, and rushing for 4,689 yards and 23 scores.

Wilson also led the Seahawks to eight playoff berths, two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl win.

However, since getting traded from the Seahawks to the Denver Broncos prior to the 2022 season, Wilson has largely struggled.

Over the past four campaigns, Wilson has played for the Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants, appearing in 47 games and going 17-27 in 44 starts.

While Wilson did go 6-5 in 11 starts and help lead the Steelers to the playoffs in 2024, they lost to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Wild Card Round of the playoffs, and Wilson then signed with the Giants in free agency.

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He began 2025 as the Giants' starter, but after going 0-3 in three starts, Wilson was benched and he didn't play much the rest of the season, as New York decided to go with rookie first-round pick Jaxson Dart under center.

Wilson finished last season with 831 passing yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions in six appearances overall.

Given his experience and history of success, Wilson undoubtedly still has some value as a backup and potential mentor for younger quarterbacks, but his days as a starter appear to be over.

While Wilson could look to stick around and prolong his career, he is likely generating a ton of interest as a broadcaster and could be in line to land a lucrative contract in that field.