Russell Wilson is opening up about parenthood.

During the Monday, February 26, episode of the “I Am Athlete” podcast, the Denver Broncos quarterback, 35, spoke about the “responsibility” of being a stepfather to wife Ciara’s 9-year-old son, Future Jr., whom she shares with ex Future.

Wilson recalled meeting his stepson for the first time when he was only an infant. “He crawls in my lap and it was like, you know, this is going to be my responsibility,” he said. “I remember leaving that night and God saying to me, ‘Raising this child, it’s going to be your responsibility.’ And realizing, praying to God, ‘Are you sure this is what you want me to do?’ He said, ‘Son, this is for you.’”

Becoming a stepdad was an “opportunity” for Wilson, who knew Ciara “was the one for me.” He welcomed the responsibility with open arms.

“I was ready for that,” he continued. “I love children. I love kids and everything else, but it was like, man, to help raise a child, understanding that, [saying], ‘OK, God, you’re going to give me this opportunity. What a gift.’ Even Jesus himself — Joseph was a stepdad. It wasn’t biologically his. It’s been an amazing journey, obviously, raising four kids.”

Russell Wilson and Future Zahir Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Along with Future Jr., Wilson and Ciara, 38, share daughters Sienna, 6, and Amora, 2 months, and son Win, 3. The couple tied the knot in 2016, two years after Ciara split from Future, 40.

“Fatherhood is a direct reflection of what God has done for us,” Wilson said. “Unconditional love, to be able to love us in the midst of it all, to be able to be there for us, to be able to provide, to be able to care for us, to be able to show up for us every day. Not just physically but also mentally and spiritually.”

Before meeting Ciara, Wilson wrote his deal breakers for a relationship on paper. “Not to be cold but it’s like, it’s a partnership. … We’re going to spend the rest of our lives together … we’re going to have these kids together, we’re going to raise these children together, we’re going to make decisions together — like, so it’s — it’s a partnership,” he said. “And so, in any partnership, [you’ve] got to have your non-negotiables.”

Ciara has also been candid about the perks of motherhood. “The joy the kids bring me every day is beyond my wildest dreams,” she told Us Weekly exclusively in July 2023. “They’re just so funny and make my life so full. While it is an all-day job and so, so hard a lot of the time, everything truly is worth it in spades!”

Two months later, she opened up about coparenting with Future in an interview with The Shade Room’s Thembi.

“We’re humans just like everybody else, our relationship is no different in the everyday relationship,” Ciara said. “We have lives that aren’t the most normal, but we are human, our blood is red … I think the most important thing is just living our life as best as we can and being the best example for our kids. That’s important to me.”