Russell Wilson says he is still open to a career in both NFL and baseball.
The Seattle Seahawks quarterback speaks about the possibility in an episode of HBO’s Real Sports, which will air on 21 April.
“I never want to kill the dream of playing two sports,” Wilson says. “I would honestly play two sports.” Wilson is then asked what is stopping him from fulfilling that ambition. “I don’t know,” Wilson says. “I may push the envelope a little bit one of these days.”
Wilson would not be the only man to combine the two sports in the modern era. Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders were successful dual sport athletes but Wilson may find the challenge more difficult. While Jackson and Sanders played at running back and cornerback respectively, the demands of the quarterback position would make it hard for Wilson to miss significant time in the off-season playing baseball. Added to that, Jackson and Sanders were better baseball players than Wilson. Some have speculated Wilson’s comments may be a way of strengthening his position when he negotiates a new contract with the Seahawks.
Wilson played second base in college, and spent 2010 and 2011 in the Colorado Rockies’ farm system after being drafted in the fourth round. Wilson hit .229 and nine home runs in 93 minor league games. The Texas Rangers currently hold his rights and he has spent a day with the team during spring training for the last two years.
