Russell Wilson: Biography, NFL Quarterback, TV Analyst, Wife Ciara

1988-present

Who Is Russell Wilson?

American football quarterback Russell Wilson won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seattle Seahawks and ranks among the top 20 all-time in numerous NFL categories, including passing yards and touchdowns. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Wilson was a multi-sport star in high school. Despite an outstanding collegiate career at NC State and Wisconsin, the 5-foot, 11-inch quarterback was considered too small by many NFL teams. Nevertheless, Wilson quickly became an elite pro quarterback and led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl victory in just his second season. Wilson made 10 Pro Bowls in his 14 seasons before announcing his retirement in 2026. He now serves as a TV analyst for CBS Sports.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Russell Carrington Wilson
BORN: November 29, 1988
BIRTHPLACE: Cincinnati, Ohio
SPOUSES: Ashton Meem (2012-14) and Ciara (2016-present)
CHILDREN: Future, Sienna, Win, Amora
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Sagittarius

Early Years

Russell Carrington Wilson was born on November 29, 1988, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and grew up in Richmond, Virginia. The second of three children born to Harrison III, a former NFL prospect turned lawyer, and Tammy, a legal nurse consultant, Wilson honed his athletic skills through competitions with his older brother, Harry.

Wilson starred for the baseball, basketball and football teams at Richmond's Collegiate School. He was named conference player of the year as a senior quarterback, capping the season by throwing a pair of touchdowns and rushing for 223 yards and three more scores in the state title game victory.

Football Career: NCAA and NFL Quarterback

Wilson became the first freshman quarterback to earn all-ACC first team honors at North Carolina State University, but his desire to continue playing baseball put him at odds with coach Tom O’Brien. After Wilson was drafted by Major League Baseball’s Colorado Rockies in 2010, he butted heads with O’Brien over his decision to attend spring training with the Rockies in 2011. The quarterback decided to transfer to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for his final year of collegiate eligibility.

Wilson enjoyed an outstanding senior year, leading the Badgers to the Big 10 conference title while setting an NCAA record for passing efficiency. Despite his successes and obvious athletic ability, Wilson was considered by many to be too small for the NFL at 5 feet, 11 inches. He was ultimately selected by the Seattle Seahawks with the 75th overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft—after five other quarterbacks.

Super Bowl XLVIII Champion

Although the Seahawks already had veteran quarterbacks Matt Flynn and Tarvaris Jackson, Wilson impressed coach Pete Carroll with his maturity and claimed the starting job. While leading Seattle to a five-game winning streak to close out the season, Wilson ran for three touchdowns in Week 14 and threw for four more the following week. He finished with a rookie record-tying 26 touchdown passes and was voted the NFL.com Rookie of the Year.

The following season, Wilson spurred the Seahawks to wins in 11 of their first 12 games and the NFC West title. The 25-year-old then delivered a pair of touchdown passes in a lopsided 43-8 victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, making him just the fourth quarterback to win a Super Bowl in his second season.

“Sometimes I think I’m made for these situations. I just try to do be prepared for us. When you're prepared, you're never scared. You just go. You trust your teammates, you trust the guys you have around you, you trust the preparation, you trust that the ball's going to bounce your way.”

The Seahawks were just 3-3 after Week 7 of the 2014 season, but the ever-steady quarterback helped spark a six-game win streak to clinch a second consecutive NFC West crown. Wilson then got off to an uncharacteristically poor start in the NFC title game vs. the Green Bay Packers, but he helped erase a 12-point deficit with just over two minutes to go, and threw the game-winning touchdown in overtime.

The first quarterback to start two Super Bowls in his first three seasons, Wilson came up just short in his bid for a second championship with a loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX. With the Seahawks down by two points, his final pass was intercepted at the goal line in the final 30 seconds by defensive back Malcolm Butler—now considered one of the most shocking plays in NFL history.

Having already proven one of the game's top young players, Wilson agreed to a four-year deal worth a reported $87.6 million before the start of the 2015 NFL season.

He lived up to the expectations, throwing for a career-high 34 touchdowns and leading the NFL with a 110.1 passer rating in 2015, though the Seahawks lost in the playoffs to the Carolina Panthers. The following season brought a similar outcome, with the QB recording a career-best 4,219 passing yards before the team was dispatched in the second weekend of the playoffs.

Later Career and Retirement

Seattle fell short of the postseason altogether in 2017, and things weren’t expected to be much better for the rebuilding team in 2018. However, the Seahawks managed to win 10 games and return to the playoffs thanks to the sterling play of Wilson, who set personal bests with 35 touchdowns thrown and a 110.9 passer rating.

Seattle subsequently rewarded its franchise quarterback with a four-year contract extension worth $140 million, making him the highest-paid player in the NFL at the time. He followed with another excellent season in 2019, completing more than 66 percent of his passes and throwing for 31 touchdowns against just five interceptions, resulting in his first AP All-Pro selection.

Wilson and the Seahawks won the NFC West in the 2020 season, but were eliminated in the wild card round by the Los Angeles Rams. It would be the quarterback’s last postseason game with the team. Following the 2021 season, the Seahawks traded Wilson to the Denver Broncos for a return including five draft picks (two in the first round) and three active players. In the Mile High City, Wilson’s production waned dramatically with only 16 touchdown passes—the lowest total of his career—in 2022. Although he bounced back a year later with 26 touchdown passes, Wilson’s 3,070 passing yards were the lowest total of his career to that point.

For 2024, Wilson agreed to a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the veteran’s minimum—although the Broncos continued to pay him more than $37 million owed. He went 6-5 as a starter, but could not lead the team to a comeback over the division rival Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the playoffs.

In 2025, Wilson signed with the New York Giants and began the season as the team’s starter, but struggled in an 0-3 start and was benched in favor of rookie Jaxson Dart.

The following summer in June 2025, Wilson confirmed in a social media video he had retired as a player after 14 total seasons. “To every fan who supported me through the highs and the lows, your belief and your passion means more than you’ll ever know,” he said. However, Wilson isn’t going far away; he will serve as an NFL analyst for TV coverage on CBS starting with the 2026 season.

Wife Ciara and Children

Wilson is married to Grammy winning R&B artist Ciara. The couple wed on July 6, 2016.

The couple met in March 2015 at a basketball game at the University of Wisconsin. By that summer, they appeared on the red carpet together at the BET Awards. In July 2018, the co-launched the Why Not You production company to develop both scripted and unscripted TV and movie projects

Wilson and Ciara have three children together: daughters Sienna (born April 28, 2017) and Amora (December 11, 2023) and son Win (July 23, 2020). Future Zahir Wilburn (May 19, 2014), from Ciara’s previous relationship with rapper Future, is Wilson’s stepson.

Prior to dating Ciara, Wilson married his high school sweetheart, Ashton Meem, in 2012. Within two years, they divorced.

Net Worth

Celebrity Net Worth estimates Wilson’s total fortune at around $185 million as of June 2026. He made around $315 million in playing salary during his career, and added valuable endorsements with brands including including Nike, Microsoft, Bose, Braun and Wheaties.