Russell Wilson usually keeps to himself and rarely engages in public trash talk with rival players and teams, but he couldn’t bite his tongue following Sean Payton’s post-game comments on Sunday.

The 36-year-old Russell Wilson returned to Denver as a visitor on Sunday, backing up rookie Jaxson Dart against Sean Payton’s Broncos. Despite trailing 26-8 in the fourth quarter, the Broncos rallied with 25 points inside the final five and a half minutes to pull out an improbable 33-32 victory.

Payton took a clear shot at his former quarterback (he coached Wilson in Denver during the 2023 season) in his post-game press conference. Payton praised Dart to John Mara and claims to have told the Giants’ co-owner, “We were hoping that (quarterback) change would have happened long after our game.”

And let’s just say that Russell Wilson wouldn’t stay silent on this one.

Taking to X/Twitter, Wilson called out Payton for being “classless” and threw shade at the longtime NFL head coach over his involvement in the New Orleans Saints’ infamous “Bountygate” scandal.

“Classless… but not surprised…. Didn’t realize you’re still bounty hunting 15+ years later through the media,” Wilson wrote.

Even though it’s unlikely Wilson will suit up against the Broncos ever again, something tells us this won’t be the last war of words between him and Payton.

Russell Wilson & The Broncos Had An Ugly Breakup In 2024

Russell Wilson (Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images)
The Broncos acquired Wilson in a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks in 2022, then signed him to a lucrative five-year contract extension worth $245 million. After a tough first year under then-head coach Nathaniel Hackett, Wilson improved with coach Payton in 2023.

However, the Broncos benched Wilson late in the 2023 season because he refused to adjust injury guarantees in his contract. The Broncos then released him in the offseason, taking on a whopping $85 million in dead money.


The Broncos then drafted Oregon quarterback Bo Nix with the No. 12 pick in 2024. So far, the results have paid off dramatically for the Broncos. After a shaky one-year stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he landed with the Giants on a one-year deal, only to get benched for Dart.