Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson has announced his retirement after a decorated 14-year NFL career.
The 37-year-old made the announcement with a three-minute farewell video on social media.
‘I remember the moment I fell in love with football, waking up before sunrise with my dad and brother, he post routes and moon balls,’ the video began. ‘Yeah, that’s where it all began. But somewhere along the way, my love for football turned to more than just passion. It was an obsession.
‘You’ve been my joy, peace, my safe place,’ he continued. ‘You taught me discipline, faith, resilience, how to keep believing no matter the circumstances. You’ve given me purpose and opportunity, opportunity to inspire others and create change to continue to evolve the game, not just for me, but for the next generation of dollars. You’ve also given me the greatest gift of family. Every coach who believed in me, you helped shape me into the man I am today.’
Much of the video focused on his time under Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.
‘To Coach Carroll, thanks for taking a chance,’ Wilson continued. ‘Young [5ft 11in] black kid from Richmond, Virginia, that was told he was too small to ever make it. We knew, thank you for the sacrifice. None of this is possible to every fan who supported me, to the highs and the lows, your belief, your energy, your passion meant more than you’ll ever know.’
He also thanked the city itself: ‘To Seattle, you raised me, not just all the wins and crazy loud games, but also the forever memories after we won the Super Bowl.’
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Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson has announced his retirement after a decorated 14-year NFL career.
Wilson has been finalizing a deal to join the CBS Sports team as an analyst.
The 37-year-old found himself at a crossroads after his one-year deal with the New York Giants ended last season. Though he began as the franchise’s starting quarterback, he was later demoted for Jaxson Dart before landing in free agency.
Since then, Super Bowl XLVIII champion Wilson has not exactly been inundated with offers from teams and reports suggested he was weighing up a move into television.
And on Monday, it was revealed by ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the ten-time Pro Bowl quarterback was finalizing a deal to become a CBS Sports analyst.
He will join the network’s pregame show alongside the likes of James Brown, Nate Burleson and Bill Cowher, according to the report.
Meanwhile, according to Ian Rapoport, Wilson did have an offer to be a backup quarterback with one franchise, but turned it down to embark on this new venture.
