NFL quarterback Russell Wilson fathered three children with wife Ciara and has helped to raise her eldest child Future Zahir Wilburn as his step-son after religious guidance

Russell Wilson says God guided him through the challenging process of being the step-dad to Future Jr (Image: YouTube)

NFL star and Super Bowl winner Russell Wilson has claimed that a consultation with God helped him understand that he needed to raise his step-son. His wife, singer Ciara, had her eldest child with rapper Future before she married Wilson.

Wilson and Ciara also have three children together: Sienna, 6, son Win, 3, and 𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚢 daughter Amora, born in December 2023. And Wilson helps raise Ciara’s eldest child, Future Zahir Wilburn, as his step-son.

Even though Future Jr isn’t his biological child, the 2014 Super Bowl winner is grateful for the chance to raise him as his own. Speaking on the “I Am Athlete” podcast, he said: “When you’re raising children, you’ve got to love every single child as if they’re yours,” adding that it’s been a great gift to raise Future Jr, Sienna, Win and now Amora. He sees no difference between them.

He recalled a touching moment when little Future Jr, then only nine months old, crawled into his lap, making him realise raising the child was going to be part of his life.

“I remember leaving that night … and God said, saying to me, ‘Raising this child it’s going to be your responsibility.” Becoming a step-father was unknown territory for Wilson and he expressed his fear of taking on a very challenging task. But once again he referenced his belief in God, who helped to guide him through the process. “It was scary just in the sense of — not scary — but it was more so of an opportunity. Like, ‘OK God, this is what you want me to do? This is, you know, stepping in to raise, you know, a child with C?’” Wilson said.

“And this and that and realizing that, OK God, like, I know she’s the one for me but also, I’m going to take this responsibility. Jesus himself, like Joseph was, Joseph was a stepdad,” Russell added. “OK, it [Jesus] wasn’t biologically his so I’m [like], ‘OK God, you’re going to — you’re going to have me [do] this? Give me this opportunity to love the way that you were loved?’”

Besides his family life, Wilson has had to face tough times at work of late. Broncos head coach Sean Payton says they will decide on Wilson’s future with the team soon. Wilson didn’t play in the last two games of the regular season, with his team seemingly ready to move in a new direction.

Wilson became Future Jr’s step-dad when the NFL player married Ciara in 2016 ( Image: Getty Images)

After the NFL Combine, Payton will make a decision on Wilson following meetings with coaching and scouting staffs. “[Next] Tuesday, Wednesday, we’ll be in meetings with ownership, I expect we’re going to know fairly quickly,” Payton said at the Combine.

“I said it at the Super Bowl, but more specifically, somewhere of the neighborhood [of] next week. There are several factors here. The cap projections came out, we’re further down the road with the draft class, obviously the pro free agents, so I would anticipate it within the next two weeks.”