Russell Wilson may be starting the 2026 NFL season somewhere other than behind center, but the former Seattle Seahawks quarterback does not appear to have abandoned his longtime training routine.
Wilson posted a collection of workout videos to Instagram on September 5, showing himself going through several strength and conditioning exercises. His message accompanying the clips was brief: “MIND. BODY. SOUL.”
The timing makes the post particularly notable. Instead of preparing for another NFL start, the 37-year-old Wilson is beginning a new chapter with CBS Sports as an analyst on “The NFL Today.” CBS announced in June that the 10-time Pro Bowler would join its Sunday pregame team for the 2026 season.
Yet judging strictly by Wilson’s latest training session, his approach to staying ready has not changed much.
Former Seahawks teammate Justin Britt even jumped into the Instagram comments.
“Lmk when you wanna start running marathons Mr. Wilson,” Britt wrote.
Russell Wilson Still Training After Moving to CBS
Wilson’s move to television followed a difficult final season with the New York Giants.
He opened 2025 as New York’s starting quarterback but lost all three of his starts before first-round pick Jaxson Dart took over the job. Wilson finished the season with 831 passing yards and three touchdowns, both career lows.
His football future remained unsettled well into the offseason.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Wilson had an opportunity to serve as a backup quarterback in 2026 but instead accepted CBS Sports’ offer. Wilson subsequently released a video titled “Thank You, Football” while announcing the next stage of his career.
There remains a small distinction worth noting: Wilson never actually used the word “retirement” in that message.
NFL.com noted in June that his decision did not necessarily eliminate the possibility of another team calling if a quarterback need emerged during the season. For now, however, Wilson is entering the year as a broadcaster rather than an active player.
His latest workout should therefore not be treated as evidence of an attempted comeback. It does show that Wilson is continuing to maintain the physical routine that helped him last 14 NFL seasons.
Wilson Begins a Different Kind of NFL Season
Wilson will hardly be removed from football.
CBS hired him for “The NFL Today,” putting the former Seahawks quarterback alongside a pregame group that includes James Brown, Bill Cowher and Nate Burleson. Wilson has already begun settling into his analyst role, discussing some of the league’s younger quarterbacks during an August CBS Sports appearance.
That creates an unusual dynamic entering Week 1.
For essentially Wilson’s entire adult life, the beginning of September has meant preparing to play quarterback. This year, he will instead be evaluating the players doing it.
Wilson nevertheless appears intent on maintaining at least one part of his familiar routine.
That will resonate with Seahawks fans who watched him build one of the most successful careers in franchise history. Wilson spent 10 seasons in Seattle after arriving as a third-round draft pick in 2012, earned nine Pro Bowl selections with the franchise and led the Seahawks to consecutive Super Bowl appearances, including their victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.
Whether Wilson ever puts on an NFL uniform again remains a separate question.
But days before the league begins another season, his latest message suggests the habits have not gone anywhere.
Mind. Body. Soul.
Ex-Seahawks Star Russell Wilson Turns Heads With Workout Before NFL Season