By Rowan Fisher-Shotton0ShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberSee more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Russell Wilson is finalizing a deal to become a CBS Sports analyst, set to join the network's pregame show alongside James Brown, Nate Burleson, and Bill Cowher.
A backup job with the New York Jets was there for the taking, backing up none other than his former Seattle teammate Geno Smith. Instead, Wilson chose a TV career.
And now, the move has triggered the question: Is Russell Wilson a Hall of Famer?
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ESPN's "Get Up" crew jumped on it Tuesday morning, and Peter Schrager framed the debate perfectly: "He was a 10-time Pro Bowler. Every other quarterback who has been a 10-time Pro Bowler is securely in the Hall of Fame."
That's the strongest case for Wilson, but he also delivered the counterargument: "Those 10 Pro Bowls happened at a point in his career when he was never first-team All-Pro, he was never the MVP, he had one of the best defenses ever surrounding him ... and since those years, there's been such a drop-off."
"The demise in Denver, nothing in Pittsburgh, and really nothing in that year with the Giants. I could almost see voters almost talking themselves out of putting Russell Wilson in the Hall of Fame," Schraeger said.
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Wilson is the Seattle Seahawks' all-time leader in career passing yards (37,059), touchdowns (292), and passer rating (101.8).
He won Super Bowl XLVIII over the Denver Broncos after the 2013 season, then engineered one of the most iconic NFC Championship comebacks in NFL history against Green Bay, only for the Seahawks to fall to the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX on the infamous Malcolm Butler interception.
But much of that happened alongside the Legion of Boom, one of the greatest defenses ever assembled, and Pete Carroll, one of the best coaches of his generation.
Wilson was a crucial part of that machine, but not necessarily the engine.
Across his 14 years in the NFL, he was never voted first-team All-Pro, never won the MVP, and only earned a single second-team All-Pro nod in 2019.
Even when he won a Super Bowl after the 2013 season, it was Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith who earned Super Bowl MVP honors, an award that almost always goes to an offensive player, and generally a quarterback.
10 Pro Bowl nods. One second-team All-Pro nod. Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year honors. Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year honors. That's a pretty thin shelf for a Hall of Famer.
Then there's the dramatic fall-off that came after he left Seattle, which, to Schrager's point, could hurt his case even more.
Denver gave up a massive haul of draft picks in 2022 and watched the whole thing crater almost immediately.
The Broncos went 5-12 overall, with Wilson going 4-11 in his 15 starts, throwing just 16 touchdown passes. The 2023 season under Sean Payton showed signs of life, but Denver still finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs.
Wilson then appeared in 11 games with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024, throwing 16 TDs before the team collapsed down the stretch, losing four straight to close the regular season, then exiting in the wild card round with a 28-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
In 2025 with the New York Giants, Wilson lost his starting job to rookie Jaxson Dart and finished the year with 831 yards and three touchdowns, career lows across the board.
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And on top of all of that, the competition is brutal.
Mike Greenberg asked on "Get Up," where does Wilson realistically stack up against Philip Rivers, Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, and Matt Ryan?
Drew Brees is already locked in for the 2026 class. Eli Manning, who beat Tom Brady twice in the Super Bowl, still hasn't gotten his jacket after two years on the ballot.
Rivers ranks eighth all-time in passing yards (63,984) and sixth in touchdowns (425) and is still waiting.
Roethlisberger ranks seventh all-time in passing yards (64,088), ninth in TDs (418), has two rings, and hasn't even hit the ballot yet.
Ryan never won a Super Bowl, but was an MVP, earned first-team All-Pro honors, and also ranks in the top 10 in both yards and TDs.
More importantly, every one of those names carries a defining, individual moment.
Wilson's legacy is full of team greatness — the Legion of Boom, the Carroll system, the collective dynasty — which made for a remarkable franchise era, but doesn't translate as cleanly to a Canton acceptance speech built around one man's greatness.
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