Russell Wilson has called it a career, officially.
A few days after announcing his NFL broadcasting aspirations, Wilson released a video to coronate his playing career. The 13-year quarterback reminisced on his favorite NFL moments. He thanked the coaches and teammates who lifted him up along the way. He laid all the emotions out there.
“Thank you, football,” Wilson said to conclude the video. “I thank you, I thank you, I thank you.”
Wilson remembers “falling in love” with football while playing for fun with his father and brother. Eventually, he said, “my love for football turned from something more than a passion. It was an obsession.”
In college, Wilson led the Wisconsin Badgers to a Rose Bowl victory in his senior year of college, while leading the Big Ten with 33 touchdowns. He was then selected with the 75th overall pick in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks.
Wilson said he remains grateful to former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll for his role in that decision.
“To coach Carroll, thank you for taking a chance on a young, 5-11, Black kid, from Richmond, Virginia, that was told ‘he was too small to ever make it in the NFL,’” Wilson said in his retirement video. “We knew what winning was like.”
Wilson and Carroll led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl XLVIII victory over the Denver Broncos. The Seahawks returned the following year, but lost Super Bowl XLIX to the New England Patriots. He won 104 games over 10 years in Seattle, while earning nine Pro Bowl selections.
Russell Wilson led the Seahawks to their first Super Bowl victory in franchise history in only his second season in the league. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
“To Seattle, you raised me,” Wilson said. “Not just all the wins and crazy loud games. But also the forever memories after we won the Super Bowl.”
Wilson played four seasons outside of Seattle — two in Denver, one with the Pittsburgh Steelers and another with the New York Giants in 2025. While he didn’t experience the same success as he did for the Seahawks, his teammates, he said, made an impact.
“To every teammate I’ve had the privilege of sharing the locker room with, thank you for the sacrifices, the brotherhood, the memories.”
Wilson will remain in the living rooms of football fans, players and coaches everywhere, but his playing days will not soon be forgotten.
