Russell Wilson calls Sean Payton ‘classless’ after Broncos win

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton gave his flowers to New York Giants rookie Jaxson Dart after an epic Broncos win on Sunday.

But Payton wanted to take on 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 after Denver’s 33-32 victory. “I was talking to [Giants owner] John Mara not too long ago, and I said we hoped change would happen long after our match.”

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While Payton could have simply meant that Dart gave his team problems — the Giants held a 26-8 lead late in the fourth quarter before a thrilling comeback — Wilson didn’t appreciate his former Broncos coach’s words.

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

“Classy… but not surprised… Didn’t realize you were still bounty hunting 15+ years later through the media,” Wilson posted on

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Wilson’s comment about “bounty hunting” is also an attack on Payton’s scandal while he was 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 suspension for one season in 2012 as part of the league’s harsh punishment.

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

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

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

Wilson certainly wasn’t happy with being benched in 2023, especially since he said the Broncos threatened to bench him earlier that year if he didn’t give up an injury guarantee in his contract. Wilson had $37 million guaranteed if he couldn’t pass a physical on Day 5 of the new league year in March 2024.

Greg Penner, owner and CEO of the Broncos, 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 then sent a letter to the Broncos stating that any threat would constitute a violation of the league’s CBA.

Still paid by the Broncos, Wilson signed a one-season veteran’s minimum contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Then the Giants signed Wilson this past offseason, along with Jameis Winston, to provide a veteran presence around Dart, who New York traded away in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft to snatch up Ole Miss.

Head coach Brian Daboll made it clear throughout training camp that Wilson was his team’s starter, but after just three straight losses to open the season, the move was made to Dart. He then earned his first NFL start in a huge upset against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Broncos’ AFC West nemesis, at MetLife Stadium in Week 4.

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

Dart and the Giants should have been victorious in Denver as well, but a collapse of epic proportions ensued when Wil Lutz kicked a game-winning field goal to cement the biggest comeback victory this season in the NFL.

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