Russell Wilson has interviewed for the North Carolina State football head coaching job, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The former Seattle Seahawks quarterback, who spent three seasons at NC State from 2008-10 before finishing his college career at Wisconsin in 2011, is one of the most recognizable names tied to the opening. ESPN also reported Saturday that Philip Rivers, another NC State alum and an eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback, 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, 37, stepped away from the NFL in June after a 14-year career and is now working as a CBS Sports analyst on “The NFL Today” this fall.
His pro résumé is loaded. Wilson led Seattle to two Super Bowl appearances and the franchise’s first title during his run with the Seahawks from 2012-21. He became a face of the organization, piling up franchise records, finishing in the top four in AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year voting three times and winning the NFL’s 2020 Walter Payton Man of the Year award.
The end of his Seattle tenure came in March 2022, when the Seahawks traded him to the Denver Broncos in a blockbuster move. Seattle used the draft capital from that deal to help build toward its 2025 Super Bowl-winning team, while Wilson’s career took a different turn.
After leaving the Seahawks, he went 17-27 as a starter across three teams in four seasons. He was 11-19 with Denver in 2022-23, 6-5 with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024 and 0-3 with the New York Giants in 2025 before first-round pick Jaxson Dart took over.
Across his 14 NFL seasons, Wilson threw for 46,966 yards, 353 touchdowns and 114 interceptions. He also rushed for 5,568 yards and 31 touchdowns, making him the only player in NFL history to top both 40,000 passing yards and 5,000 rushing yards in a career.
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