Steelers Now
A former quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers is hanging up his cleats for good.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson has officially announced his retirement following 14 seasons in the NFL.
“Thank You, Football. Love, #3,” Wilson posted on X.
The news doesn’t come as a complete surprise after Wilson recently accepted an offer to join NFL Today, the Sunday pregame show on CBS.
However, many players have opted to keep that door open even if they didn’t receive the opportunities they had hoped.
Wilson reportedly had a couple of offers to play as a team’s backup quarterback this season. One of those was with the New York Jets, who offered Wilson a job to back up Geno Smith during a free agent visit on April 28. Smith served as Wilson’s understudy with the Seattle Seahawks from 2019-21.
“It was great,” Wilson said of his recent visit with the Jets, via The New York Post. “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 I also have an opportunity to do TV, so we’ll see what happens.”
It seems Wilson has decided to go out on his own terms, though, putting a cap on a career highlighted by 10 Pro Bowl nods and a Super Bowl XLVIII championship.
Wilson spent most of his career with the Seahawks before being traded to the Denver Broncos in 2022. Two years later, he joined the Steelers for a one-year run as the team’s starter.
Then last season, he joined the New York Giants but made just three starts before an injury caused him to give way to rookie Jaxson Dart. Wilson finished the year as the Giants’ third-string quarterback, also falling behind Jameis Winston on the depth chart.
Wilson has dabbled in television in the past, working during the New York Giants’ bye week last season. At CBS, he will replace former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan on NFL Today. Ryan re-joined the Falcons as team president this offseason.
The Steelers are now well-represented on television, with former head coach Bill Cowher also on The NFL Today, Terry Bradshaw on Fox NFL Sunday, and Mike Tomlin, who just joined the NBC Football Night in America crew.
Chris Ward contributed.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Former Steelers Quarterback Announces Retirement From NFL
