Introduction
Russell Wilson (born November 29, 1988) is an American professional football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He has primarily played for the Seattle Seahawks. With the Seahawks, Wilson was named to the Pro Bowl nine times and helped Seattle win their first Super Bowl championship in Super Bowl XLVIII. He is regarded as one of the greatest dual-threat quarterbacks of all time. He is also a former professional baseball player.
Wilson played both college football and baseball for the NC State Wolfpack from 2008 to 2010 before transferring to the Wisconsin Badgers in 2011, where he set the single-season FBS record for passer rating and led them to a Big Ten title and the 2012 Rose Bowl. He also played minor league baseball for the Tri-City Dust Devils in 2010 and the Asheville Tourists in 2011 as a second baseman. The Seattle
The Seahawks selected Wilson in the third round (75th overall) of the 2012 NFL draft. He tied the rookie record for most passing touchdowns and was named Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year. Wilson then led the Seahawks to consecutive Super Bowl appearances, winning Super Bowl XLVIII and losing Super Bowl XLIX after he was intercepted at the goal line by Malcolm Butler.
Wilson holds the record for most wins by an NFL quarterback through nine seasons and is one of five quarterbacks with a career passer rating over 99. In 2019, he signed a four-year, $140 million contract extension with the Seahawks, becoming the highest-paid NFL player at the time. In 2020, he became the third quarterback in NFL history to throw 30 touchdowns in four consecutive seasons.
Wilson was traded to the Broncos in 2022 and later signed a five-year, $245 million extension. His time with the Broncos was marred with disappointment, with the Broncos having the league’s worst scoring offense in 2022. Wilson was benched near the end of the 2023 season and was released in the offseason, later signing a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers where he earned his tenth Pro Bowl selection and made his ninth playoff berth. He later signed a one-year contract with the New York Giants.
Noted for his philanthropy, Wilson was named the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2020 and was the recipient of the Bart Starr Award in 2022. Wilson is also part owner of the Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer (MLS). After he purchased his minority stake, the Sounders won MLS Cup 2019 and the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League.
Early life and background
WiWilson was born at The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, and grew up in Richmond, Virginia. His parents are Harrison Benjamin Wilson III, a lawyer, and Tammy Wilson (née Turner), a nurse director. He has an older brother, Harrison IV, and a younger sister, Anna. Wilson started playing football with his father and brother at the age of four, and played his first organized game for the Tuckahoe Tomahawks youth football team in sixth grade.
Wilson’s great-great-grandfather was enslaved to a Confederate colonel and was freed after the American Civil War. Wilson’s paternal grandfather, Harrison B. Wilson Jr., was a former president of Norfolk State University who played football and basketball at Kentucky State University, and his paternal grandmother, Anna W. Wilson, was on the faculty at Jackson State University. Wilson’s maternal grandfather
Wilson’s maternal grandfather was noted painter A. B. Jackson. According to genetic admixture analysis, Wilson is 62% African, 36% European, 1% West Asian, and 1% Central Asian. His European family lineage has been traced back to 524 A.D. to Saint Arnulf of Metz via Charlemagne. Wilson has also said he has some Native American ancestry, although he did not explicitly say which tribe he came from.
High school career
Wilson Wilson attended Collegiate School, a preparatory school in Richmond, Virginia. As a junior in 2005, he threw for 3,287 passing yards and 40 passing touchdowns and rushed for 634 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. He was named an all-district, all-region, and all-state player. Wilson was twice named the Richmond Times-Dispatch Player of the Year.
As a senior, he threw for 3,009 passing yards, 34 passing touchdowns, and seven interceptions. In addition, he rushed for 1,132 yards and 18 touchdowns. That year, he was named an all-conference and all-state player as well as conference player of the year. He was featured in Sports Illustrated for his performance in the state championship game win. Wilson also served as his senior class president.
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | 40‡ | Commit date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russell Wilson QB | Richmond, Virginia | Collegiate School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 4.53 | Jul 23, 2006 |
| Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: Scout: 67 (QB) Rivals: NR (QB), NR (Virginia) | ||||||
| ‡ Refers to 40-yard dashNote: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time.In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.Sources:“2007 Team Ranking”. Rivals.com. Retrieved October 7, 2011. | ||||||
Wilson committed to North Carolina State University on July 23, 2006.[39] He also received a football scholarship
offer from Duke University.[40]
College football career
NC State
Wilson redshirted during the 2007 season at NC State. In 2008, Wilson initially split time at quarterback with senior Daniel Evans and junior Harrison Beck. However, Evans and Beck saw no regular season action after Week 2 and Week 5, respectively. Thereafter, Wilson led the team to a 4–3 record in the regular season which NC State finished out on a four-
Wilson led the team to a game-winning streak. During a 30–24 win over East Carolina, Wilson threw for 201 yards and three touchdowns. He threw for two touchdowns in each of the last six games in the regular season. Wilson led the 2010 Wolfpack to a 9–4 season that included a 23–7 win over West Virginia in the 2010 Champs Sports Bowl. He led the ACC in passing yards per game (274.1) and total offensive yards per game (307.5). He was named second-team All-ACC and runner-up for ACC Football Player of the Year. In May 2010, Wilson graduated from NC State in three years with a BA in communication, and took graduate-level business courses in the fall semester during the 2010 football season.
Transfer
In January 2011, Wilson announced that he would report to spring training with the Colorado Rockies organization. NC State head coach Tom O’Brien expressed reservations with Wilson’s decision, saying, “Russell and I have had very open conversations about his responsibilities respective to baseball and football. While I am certainly respectful of Russell’s dedication to baseball these last several years, within those discussions I also communicated to him the importance of his time commitment to NC State football.”
Wisconsin
On June 27, 2011, Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema said that Wilson committed to Wisconsin for the 2011 season. In the season opener against UNLV, Wilson passed for 255 yards and two touchdowns in a 51–17 victory. He also rushed for 62 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown run. In the next three games, Wilson threw for three passing touchdowns in each game,
victories over Oregon State, Northern Illinois, and South Dakota. Following a 48–17 victory over previously undefeated #8 Nebraska, Wilson recorded a receiving touchdown in the 59–7 victory over Indiana. Wilson helped lead the Badgers to a 6–0 start and a #4 ranking in the AP Poll.
The Badgers dropped their next two games, road losses to Michigan State and Ohio State. Wilson and the Badgers reeled off four consecutive wins to end the regular season. Wilson was efficient during the winning streak, passing for nine touchdowns to no interceptions while rushing for two touchdowns. At the end of the regular season, Wilson was named first team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media. He also won the Griese-Brees Big Ten Quarterback of the Year award.
Professional career
On January 16, 2012, Wilson began training for the NFL Scouting Combine at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Prior to the 2012 NFL draft, Wilson had been projected by NFL scouts and analysts to be a middle-round pick. In February 2012, former NFL quarterback and director of the IMG Madden Football Academy Chris Weinke said of Wilson, “If he was 6–5, he’d probably be the No. 1 pick in the draft.” On April 11, 2012, ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Jon Gruden said, “The only issue with Russell Wilson is his height. That might be the reason he’s not picked in the first couple rounds.”
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Wonderlic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 10+5⁄8 in (1.79 m) | 204 lb (93 kg) | 31 in (0.79 m) | 10+1⁄4 in (0.26 m) | 4.55 s | 1.59 s | 2.66 s | 4.09 s | 6.97 s | 34.0 in (0.86 m) | 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) | 28[91] | |
| All values from NFL Combine[92][93] | ||||||||||||
Seattle Seahawks
2012
Wilson was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round (75th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft, the sixth quarterback selected. The Seahawks received significant criticism for their selections in the draft, and Wilson in particular, as they had just signed free agent Matt Flynn. Two weeks later, Wilson signed a four-year, $2.99 million contract with the Seahawks on May 7, 2012.
Wilson made his preseason debut against the Tennessee Titans on August 11, 2012, and had his first preseason start on August 24 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Two days later on August 26, 2012, Wilson was named the starting quarterback for the first regular season game after competing with Matt Flynn and Tarvaris Jackson for the position.
On September 9, 2012, Wilson made his regular season debut in a 20–16 road loss to the Arizona Cardinals. He had 18 completions on 34 passing attempts for 153 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. In the third regular season game on Monday night, the Seahawks won 14–12 over the Green Bay Packers on a controversial Hail Mary touchdown pass to Golden Tate. The contentious nature of the replacement officials’ decision on the play was widely considered to have been the tipping point that led to an agreement being reached to end the referee lockout.
2013: Super Bowl championship
The Seahawks began the 2013 season with the first 4–0 start in franchise history, before losing to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5. The Seahawks then went on a 7-game winning streak, including a 41–20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings where he posted a career-high 151.4 passer rating and culminating in a 34–7 victory over the New Orleans Saints in Week 13 in which Wilson threw three touchdown passes and earned his second NFC Offensive Player of the Week award.
Over the next three weeks, the Seahawks suffered divisional losses to the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals (the loss to the Cardinals was Wilson’s first home loss), but defeated the St. Louis Rams in Week 17 to finish the season with a 13–3 record, the NFC West title, and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
[126] Wilson finished the season with 26 touchdown passes, nine interceptions, and a 101.2 passer rating, becoming the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to post a 100+ passer rating in each of his first two seasons.[127] Wilson was named to his second Pro Bowl on December 27, 2013.[128]
2014: Back-to-back Super Bowl appearances
On September 21, 2014, Wilson led the Seahawks on an 80-yard touchdown drive in overtime to defeat the Denver Broncos, 26–20, in a Week 3 rematch of the previous season’s Super Bowl. On October 6, 2014, against the Washington Redskins, Wilson set a new Monday Night Football record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game with 122. His 122 rushing yards marks a single-game franchise record for a Seahawks quarterback.
In Week 6, Wilson became the first player in NFL history to pass for at least 300 yards and rush for 100 in the same game in the 28–26 loss to the St. Louis Rams. The Seahawks clinched a playoff spot in Week 16 when the Dallas Cowboys defeated
The Indianapolis Colts by a score of 42–7, eliminating the Philadelphia Eagles from postseason contention and allowing the Seahawks to clinch their spot before their Sunday Night Football matchup. On December 21, 2014, Wilson went 20-of-31 and threw for a then-career-high 339 yards with two touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals in a primetime matchup on Sunday Night Football. Wilson also led the offense in gaining 596 yards, setting a franchise record for most yards gained in a game.
Wilson would have been selected as an alternate to the Pro Bowl, but did not play because the Seahawks advanced to the Super Bowl; as Wilson did not have a chance to decline the invitation, the NFL recognizes this as a Pro Bowl berth for him.
Wilson became the first quarterback in NFL history to start two Super Bowls in his first three professional seasons. The Seahawks became the first defending champion to return to the Super Bowl since the 2004 Patriots. They faced the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX, where they were defeated by a final score of 28–24. Although the Seahawks led 24–14
Heading into the fourth quarter, the Patriots scored two consecutive touchdowns to take a four-point lead with 2:02 remaining. Wilson led the Seahawks to the Patriots’ one-yard line with 25 seconds remaining, but Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler intercepted a pass intended for Ricardo Lockette, sealing the victory for the Patriots. He was ranked 22nd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015.
2020
WWilson started off the 2020 season going 31 of 35 for 322 passing yards and four passing touchdowns in the 38–25 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. He was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 1. In Week 2, against the New England Patriots, he had 288 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, and one interception in the 35–30 victory. Wilson continued his great start to the season with 315 passing yards and five touchdowns in the 38–31 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Wilson set an NFL record for most passing touchdowns through three games with 14. He was again named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his
performance in Week 3.[231] Wilson’s 14 touchdown passes in the first three games of the season set a new NFL record. He was the first player in NFL history to pass for at least four touchdowns in the first three games of a season.[232] On October 1, 2020, Wilson was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for his performance in September.[233] In Week 4, Wilson passed for 360 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in the 31–23 victory over the Miami Dolphins.[234]
Awards and honors
- 10× Pro Bowl (2012–2015, 2017–2021, 2024)
- Second-team All-Pro (2019)
- NFC Offensive Player of the Month (September 2020)
- NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month (December 2012)
- 11× NFC Offensive Player of the Week
- Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week (Week 10, 2012)
- PFWA Good Guy Award (2014)
- 7× FedEx Air Player of the Week
- 3× Steve Largent Award (2012, 2018, 2019)
- 9× NFL Top 100 selection: 51st (2013), 20th (2014), 22nd (2015), 17th (2016), 24th (2017), 11th (2018), 25th (2019), 2nd (2020), 12th (2021)
- Walter Payton Man of The Year (2020)
- Bart Starr Award (2022)
Personal life
Wilson met his first wife, Ashton Meem, while they were both high school students. They married in January 2012 and divorced in April 2014.
Wilson is married to American R&B singer Ciara. They began dating in early 2015 and announced their engagement on March 11, 2016. They were married on July 6, 2016, at Peckforton Castle in Cheshire, England. He has a stepson from her relationship with Future. Their elder daughter was born on April 28, 2017. Their son was born on July 23, 2020. Their second daughter was born on December 11, 2023.
See also
- List of NCAA Division I FBS passing touchdowns leaders
- List of NCAA major college football yearly passing leaders
- List of Denver Broncos starting quarterbacks
- List of Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterbacks
- List of Seattle Seahawks starting quarterbacks
- List of Super Bowl starting quarterbacks
- List of NFL annual passing touchdowns leaders
- List of NFL career passing touchdowns leaders
- List of NFL career passing yards leaders
- List of NFL quarterbacks who have posted a perfect passer rating
For more
For more exclusive influencer stories, visit influencergonewild