Russell Wilson joined former NFL player Brandon Marshall on the latest episode of  I AM ATHLETE podcast. In their more than hour-long conversation, the athletes discussed Wilson’s career, family, and more.

Reflecting on his relationship with wife Ciara, Wilson revealed that when they first met, Ciara’s son Future was just 9 months old. Wilson vividly remembers the moment when he felt a divine calling to take on the role of raising him.

“I remember leaving that night and God saying to me, ‘raising this child is going to be your responsibility,’” Wilson shared, recounting the moment. “‘God, you’re going to give me this opportunity? What a gift,’” he remembered saying to himself.

Drawing parallels to the biblical story of Joseph as a stepfather, Wilson added, “Joseph was a stepdad. It wasn’t biologically his.”

When Wilson met Ciara in 2015, she was already mom to Future Zahir, 9, from her previous relationship with rapper Future. After marrying in 2016, the couple welcomed their daughter, Sienna Princess, 6, a year later. Their family continued to grow with the arrival of their son, Win Harrison, in 2020, and their daughter, Amora Princess, in December 2023.

Curious about Wilson’s perspective on fatherhood versus stepfatherhood, Marshall posed a question. “Is there a difference from, you know, how you approach being a father [or] a stepfather?” he inquired.

Wilson’s response was heartfelt, stressing the importance of treating every child with equal love and care.

“I think that when you’re raising children and you’re married and everything else and loving, you got to love every single child as if they’re yours. That’s been the greatest gift of raising Future, Sienna, Win and now Amora,” he said.

“It’s like, man, God gave me that opportunity to raise them and to love them and to care for them and teach them and to love them every day. There’s no difference. To me, it’s the greatest gift and knowing that’s the responsibility to raise these four beautiful children all together,” Wilson added.

Russell continued, expressing gratitude for the journey of parenthood alongside Ciara and the joy of witnessing their children’s individual passions and personalities flourish.

“We all come from blended families, a lot of times we all come from different this and that, but it’s to be able to be one. That’s been the best part of raising these kids with C…I just think that the gift to be able to raise kids with C every day knowing that you’re equally yoked and also knowing that we’re on this journey together [has] been one of the greatest gifts to life.”