The New York Giants may be on a bye in Week 14, but backup quarterback Russell Wilson is still going to put in some work. Wilson willserve as a guest analyston CBS' "NFL Today" on Sunday during the Giants' off week, the network revealed Thursday.
Wilson's appearance should draw plenty of attention. He's not only an active player, but he's a player who still elicits a strong reaction from fans despite his diminished role. Wilson's social-media presence and personality have both worked for and against him over his 14-year NFL career.
While that career started brilliantly — with Wilson making the Pro Bowl in nine of his first 10 seasons and leading the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl win in 2013 — Wilson has fallen off in recent years.
Despite a resurgent statistical year with the Denver Broncos in 2023, Wilson was benched down the stretch and later released by the team. He stillharbors some bad bloodwith Broncos head coach Sean Payton over that decision.
After making the Pro Bowl in his only season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Wilson was not re-signed by the team, which opted to go with an even older veteran, Aaron Rodgers, as its starter in 2025.
That opened the door for Wilson to start for the Giants to kick off the 2025 season. That experiment lasted just three games, as Wilson failed to elevate the team outside of a massive performance against a struggling Dallas Cowboys defense in Week 2. It didn't help that Wilson's third start occurred in a prime-time window against theKansas City Chiefs. He failed to get much offense going in the start, throwing for just 160 yards and tossing two interceptions. Wilson also received criticism for throwing the ball out of the end zone on some crucial downs with the Giants trailing late in the contest.
The team turned to rookie Jaxson Dart the following week and haven't looked back. While Dart hasn't led the team to many wins, his dual-threat ability has added some much-needed explosiveness into New York's offense. It hasn't always been pretty, but he's done enough to prove that he should start for the team next season.
Dart's emergence put Wilson in a difficult spot. With the veteran suddenly out of the team's plans, Wilson was inactive for the first time in his NFL career in Week 13. With Dart back from a concussion, the Giants opted to make veteran Jameis Winston, who started over Wilson with Dart sidelined in Week 12, the team's primary backup moving forward.
That puts Wilson's appearance on CBS on Sunday in a different light. With his NFL career quickly speeding to a close, it's possible Wilson views the appearance as a test run for what he could do following his retirement.
As a player, Wilson clearly has the skills and knowledge that should make him an informative and entertaining broadcaster. But those skills don't always translate. For every Greg Olsen, who immediately took to life as a broadcaster, there's a Jason Witten, who was criticized for his inability to impart meaningful knowledge during games.
With a strong performance Sunday, Wilson could make himself a desirable free agent this offseason ... as a broadcaster.