Sean Payton and Russell Wilson: A Rivalry That Remains Lit
Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton expressed his desire to face former quarterback Russell Wilson during the game against the New York Giants last Sunday. However, Payton was met with rookie Jaxson Dart instead. This did not go unnoticed by Wilson.Wilson accompanied his comment with laughing emojis and the hashtag #LetsRide, a phrase he used to use at the end of his press conferences while he was a member of the Broncos from 2022 to 2023. Wilson responded to Payton’s comments after Sunday’s game, in which the Broncos won 33-32 with an exciting comeback in the final quarter. Payton had commented: “I have a lot of respect for the Giants organization. I spent four of my first years there coordinating a Super Bowl, the first game in this stadium before 9/11, close to the Mara and Tisch family. They found a little spark with that quarterback. I spoke with John Mara not long ago and told him we expected that change to have happened long after our game.” The change Payton was referring to was Wilson’s shift to Dart as the starter. This comment seemed to touch a nerve in the normally reserved Wilson. Wilson responded with the allusion to the “bounty hunting” towards his former coach. This referred to a scandal with Payton’s team, the New Orleans Saints, from 2009 to 2011, in which former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams directed a cash reward program for hits. Payton was suspended for the entire 2012 season without pay as a result. Dart became the Giants’ starter last month when Wilson was benched after three games. The change has ignited a previously dormant New York offense. The rookie scored four touchdowns on Sunday (three passing, one rushing). The game in Denver was a homecoming of sorts for Wilson, who was the Giants’ backup. He spent time before the game signing jerseys and memorabilia on the field for both Broncos and Giants fans. Wilson was traded by the Seattle Seahawks to the Broncos in 2022, but his time in Denver ended abruptly when Payton benched him in 2023 and he was ultimately released in the 2024 offseason despite having $85 million in dead money. The relationship between the coach and the quarterback had soured. It doesn’t seem to have been repaired. The Broncos had an 11-19 record in Wilson’s starts over two seasons and failed to make the playoffs. Part of Wilson’s resentment toward Payton could stem from Wilson’s claim that the Broncos had threatened to bench him early in the 2023 season if Wilson didn’t waive an injury guarantee in his contract. At the time, Wilson had $37 million (his 2025 salary) guaranteed if he couldn’t pass a physical on the fifth day of the new league year in March 2024. After Wilson’s release, Broncos owner/CEO Greg Penner denied the team had threatened to bench Wilson over the guarantee and said he had tried to negotiate “in good faith” about any potential contract adjustments. At the time, Wilson said the NFLPA “got involved” and the NFLPA sent a letter to the Broncos saying such a threat would be a violation of the league’s collective bargaining agreement.“Classless… but not surprised…. Didn’t realize you were still bounty hunting over 15 years later through the media,” Wilson wrote on X.
Russell Wilson
