Russell Wilson is in the mix for the North Carolina State head coaching job.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the former Seattle Seahawks quarterback interviewed for the opening on Tuesday. Wilson spent three seasons at NC State from 2008-10 before transferring to Wisconsin for his final college year in 2011.
Wilson’s name enters the picture as the Wolfpack also weighs another familiar face. ESPN reported Saturday that Philip Rivers, the eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback and NC State alum, has “engaged in serious discussions” about coaching his alma mater.
NC State moved on from Dave Doeren on Oct. 24 after a 3-4 start. Doeren had been in charge for 14 seasons.
Wilson, now 37, stepped away from the NFL in June after a 14-year run and is spending this fall as a CBS Sports analyst on “The NFL Today” pregame show.
His pro career was defined by a long stretch in Seattle, where he played from 2012-21 and helped lead the Seahawks to two Super Bowl appearances and their first title. He became known for his deep ball and his ability to escape pressure, piled up franchise records, finished in the top four of AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year voting three times and won the NFL’s 2020 Walter Payton Man of the Year award.
The end of that Seattle run came in March 2022, when the Seahawks traded him to the Denver Broncos in a blockbuster deal. Seattle used the haul of draft capital to help build toward its 2025 Super Bowl-winning team, while Wilson’s career took a sharp turn in the other direction.
After leaving the Seahawks, Wilson went 17-27 as a starter across three teams in four seasons. He was 11-19 in Denver from 2022-23, 6-5 with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024 and 0-3 with the New York Giants in 2025 before Jaxson Dart, a first-round pick, took over.
In 14 seasons, Wilson threw for 46,966 yards, 353 touchdowns and 114 interceptions. He also rushed for 5,568 yards and 31 scores, making him the only player in NFL history to top both 40,000 passing yards and 5,000 rushing yards.
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Jonathan Taylor has been floated as the kind of back who could change the conversation, but the Packers are not operating with much room to maneuver. Jacobs legal baggage has only added another layer of complexity, and for now the more realistic path may be to look inward and find help for the offensive line instead of chasing a new runner. It is a reminder that in the NFL, fixing a weakness is often easier said than paid for. [Read more 🡒]