Russell Wilson Makes Final Choice Between Jets Contract and CBS Opportunity After Weeks of Mulling

“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.

Sources: Ten-time Pro-Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson is finalizing a deal to become a CBS Sports analyst. Wilson won a Super Bowl, the Walter Payton Man of the Year award and now leaves the NFL to become an analyst on the network’s pregame show that includes James Brown, Nate… pic.twitter.com/YEsi3OyDRv

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 1, 2026

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.

This is a developing story. Stay Tuned!

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