Russell Wilson, American football player
Russell Carrington Wilson (born November 29, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). Wilson initially played college football and baseball at NC State from 2008 to 2010 before transferring to Wisconsin in 2011, in which he set the single-season FBS record for passing efficiency (191.8) and led them to a Big Ten title and the 2012 Rose Bowl. He also played minor league baseball for the Tri-City Dust Devils in 2010 and the Asheville Tourists in 2011 as a second baseman, and as of 2019 his professional baseball rights are held by the Somerset Patriots, the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees.He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round (75th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft. After beating out Matt Flynn for the starting job during training camp, Wilson ended up having a successful debut season, tying Peyton Manning's then-record for most passing touchdowns by a rookie (26) and was named Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year.Wilson has been named to nine Pro Bowls and helped lead the Seahawks to two consecutive Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl XLVIII over the Broncos. He holds the record for most wins by an NFL quarterback through nine seasons (98) and is one of four quarterbacks in NFL history with a career passer rating over 100. In April 2019, Wilson signed a four-year, $140 million contract extension with the Seahawks, making him the highest paid player in the NFL at the time. In 2020, he became just the third quarterback in NFL history to throw for thirty touchdowns in four consecutive seasons. Wilson is widely regarded as one of the greatest dual-threat quarterbacks in NFL history.Wilson is part owner of the Seattle Sounders of Major League Soccer (MLS). After he purchased his minority stake, the Sounders won the 2019 MLS Cup.