Russell Wilson enters a pivotal phase in his football career with the New York Giants in the NFL, he’s once again speaking publicly about his childhood dream of suiting up for the New York Yankees.
Long before becoming a Super Bowl champion or a 10-time Pro Bowler, he was a promising baseball prospect; even selected by the Colorado Rockies in the fourth round of the 2010 MLB Draft. He attended spring training before committing his best athletic years to football instead.
However, the veteran quarterback has never abandoned baseball as his passion and in a recent interview, suggests that retirement from the NFL may not mark the end of his professional journey-but perhaps a return to where it all began.
“You know what’s crazy is when I was a young kid, one of my biggest goals in life was to play for the New York Yankees,” Wilson told Sports Illustrated. “And, you know, play professionally, pro baseball, pro football.
Wilson was very nearly pushed into baseball twice. First came in 2009 when Tom O’Brien brutally told him to walk away from football, despite him throwing 325 passes without an interception for the North Carolina State Wolfpack.
That decision propelled the quarterback toward greatness on the football field. But baseball, as he has admitted, was never far from his thoughts and he almost made a switch to bat-and-ball again in 2018.
The dream nearly materialized in 2018 when the Yankees acquired Wilson’s rights from the Texas Rangers, and during spring training, he donned the iconic pinstripes and stepped in as a pinch hitter.
“He threw me that first pitch like 95, 96 miles per hour fastball,” Wilson said of Max Fried. “And I was right on time.
“I mean, I just, I mean, if it was, you know, not even an inch lower, that ball would have gone.”
Now 36, he signed a one-year contract with the Giants in 2025, aiming to prove he still has something left. Yet, his comments reveal a growing comfort with what lies ahead-and perhaps, what lies beyond football.
Wilson has already achieved what most athletes dream of: a decorated NFL career, a Super Bowl ring, and league-wide respect. But as retirement nears, his passion for baseball and long-standing connection to the Yankees remain a compelling love affair.
Who do the New York Giants play in Week 1?
The New York Giants come into the 2025/26 NFL season looking to improve on 3-14 record that saw them slump to the bottom of the NFC East, finishing 11 wins behind the Philadelphia Eagles.
It was a season defined by quarterback woes with Daniel Jones and Tommy DeVito and the hope is that a rotation of the experienced Wilson and Jameis Winston, as well as their promising rookie talent, Jaxson Dart, will offer them a stable platform to build.
Fans will get to see if Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll have managed to create that in Week 1 when they take on the Washington Commanders at the Northwest Stadium on September 7.
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