Russell Wilson says he’s not Bo Jackson, won’t play baseball for Texas Rangers

One of the weirder stories to surface on Thursday was that the Texas Rangers had drafted Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson in the Rule 5 Draft in Major League Baseball. The story brought back old memories of football stars of yesteryear who played both football and baseball. From Bo Jackson to Deion Sanders, playing two sports at once has been done before and that has some thinking that Russell Wilson can truly become a throwback player.

But while it was Throwback Thursday, Wilson addressed being drafted by the Rangers and stated he’s not a throwback player. Wilson noted he was flattered that the Rangers drafted him but won’t be playing two sports because he’s simply not Bo Jackson even if he’s entertained the idea.

"“[Rangers G.M. Jon Daniels] asked me if I’m trying to go Bo Jackson? I thought about it before, I’m not going to lie.  But no.  I mean I’m just focused on football.”"

This is good news for Seahawks fans who don’t want to see their franchise quarterback be distracted by playing two sports at the same time. Perhaps is the Mariners offered him a deal within the same city as he plays football, the plan could work. But playing football in Seattle and baseball in Texas is a bit of a stretch.

"“Obviously, I love baseball and just love the game. It’s a relaxing sport, it’s a good sport.  I played it my whole life, but there’s nothing better than playing the quarterback position and playing in front of 90,000 people and it being third and six and the game on the line or being in the red zone and having to make a play in a big situation.  So that’s why I decided to play football because I love those moments and I love those big games.”"

Deion Sanders tweeted on Thursday that Wilson needs to consider being a two-sport athlete and play for the Rangers. 49ers CEO Jed York almost immediately agreed which says all you need to know about the situation.