Russell Wilson calls Sean Payton ‘classless’ after Broncos win

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton gave New York Giants rookie Jaxson Dart his flowers after an epic come-from-behind victory for the Broncos on Sunday.

But Payton wanted to meet the veteran Super Bowl champion quarterback the Giants have behind Dart, Russell Wilson.

“They found a little spark with that quarterback,” Payton said of Dart during his postgame press conference following the 33-32 Denver win. “I talked to [Giants owner] John Mara not too long ago and I said we hoped the change would have happened long after our fight.”

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While Payton might have simply thought Dart was giving his team trouble — the Giants held a 26-8 lead late in the fourth quarter before a thrilling comeback — Wilson didn’t appreciate the words of his former Broncos coach.

These two have obvious history, and Wilson considered his former head coach’s comments “classless.”

“Classless…but not surprised…Didn’t know you’re still bounty hunting 15+ years later through the media,” Wilson wrote on X with some laughing emojis and his famous #LetsRide hashtag, which he used while a member of the Broncos from 2022-23.

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Wilson’s “bounty hunting” comment is also a jab at Payton’s scandal while head coach of the New Orleans Saints. The NFL found Payton’s team guilty of placing a bounty on targeted players, leading to the head coach’s season-long suspension in 2012 as part of the severe punishment by the league.

The relationship between Wilson and Payton was rocky, to say the least, after the former was traded from the Seattle Seahawks to the Broncos in 2022. Wilson didn’t last long as Payton benched him in 2023, and he was released during the 2024 offseason despite Denver receiving a whopping $85 million in dead money.

Wilson ended up going 11-19 in his starts for Denver with playoff appearances.

Denver Broncos’ Sean Payton and Denver Broncos’ Russell Wilson watch from the sideline during an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings at Empower Field at Mile High on Nov. 19, 2023, in Denver. (Ryan Kang/Getty Images)

Wilson certainly wasn’t happy with his benching in 2023, especially when he said the Broncos threatened to bench him earlier that year if he didn’t waive an injury guarantee in his contract. Wilson had $37 million guaranteed if he could not pass a physical on the fifth day of the new league year in March 2024.

Greg Penner, the Broncos’ owner and CEO, denied the team ever threatened Wilson. He said they wanted to negotiate “in good faith” on contract adjustments, although Wilson said he would involve the NFLPA. The NFLPA later sent a letter to the Broncos stating that any threat would be a violation of the league’s CBA.

Still being paid by the Broncos, Wilson signed a veteran’s minimum deal for one season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Then the Giants signed Wilson last season, as well as Jameis Winston, to provide veteran presence around Dart, who New York traded back to the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft to grab Ole Miss.

Head coach Brian Daboll made it clear throughout training camp that Wilson was the starter for his team, but after just three straight losses to open the season, the switch was made to Dart. He went on to earn his first NFL start in a massive upset of the Los Angeles Chargers, the Broncos’ AFC West nemesis, at MetLife Stadium in Week 4.

Russell Wilson of the New York Giants looks on from the sidelines during the national anthem prior to an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium on October 9, 2025 in East Rutherford, NJ (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

Dart and the Giants should have won in Denver as well, but a meltdown of epic proportions ensued with Wil Lutz making a game-winning field goal to cement the biggest comeback win this season in the NFL.

It remains Dart’s offense for the foreseeable future with Wilson backing him up in New York.