Russell Wilson Reflects On His First Week As A CBS Sports Analyst After 14 NFL Seasons

Russell Wilson has spent most of his adult life preparing for Sundays on the football field. Now, he is watching the game from a different seat. After making his CBS Sports debut on September 13, the former quarterback opened up about his first week as an NFL analyst and the part of retirement that has been hardest to accept. Wilson admitted that leaving football has not been easy, but his new role has given him a chance to look at his career from a new side.

Russell Wilson moves from NFL to TV

Wilson made his CBS Sports debut while covering the Vikings and Packers game from Minnesota. He joined James Brown, Bill Cowher, Nate Burleson and Kyle Long as part of the network's NFL coverage.

For Wilson, the biggest adjustment has not been learning television. It has been stepping away from the game itself. “I think the hardest part about the transition has been just leaving the game,” Wilson said at Fast Company's Innovation Festival in New York on September 16.

The former quarterback then spoke warmly about working with Cowher. Wilson recalled meeting the Hall of Fame coach when he was a sophomore at North Carolina State. Years later, he found himself sitting beside him in a completely different role. “Now I'm standing next to this guy thinking about what God has done and how he's used my career for 14 years,” Wilson said.

Russell Wilson's new chapter after 14 NFL seasons

Wilson announced his NFL retirement in June after 14 seasons. He entered the league with the Seattle Seahawks in 2012 and won a Super Bowl with the team in February 2014. He later played for the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers before finishing his playing career with the New York Giants in 2025

In his NFL career, he has recorded over 46,000 yards and 353 touchdowns, with a passer rating of 99.3. But his focus now appears to be on what comes next rather than what he left behind. Wilson said he is trying to balance gratitude for his career with the need to move forward.

“I think that's the biggest thing of trying to figure out, okay, gratitude, going to do something new, but also not living in the past too,” he said.