Former Broncos QB Russell Wilson blasts Sean Payton as 'classless'

Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post on Oct 21, 2025

Published in Football

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DENVER — Russell Wilson heard Sean Payton on Sunday.

Apparently, he wasn’t impressed.

Wilson, who spent two years in Denver, including the 2023 season playing for Payton, responded to apparent shade thrown by Payton after Denver’s win Sunday against the New York Giants, where Wilson was benched after an 0-3 start.

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

Wilson included a couple of emojis and his old catchphrase, #LetsRide.

The apparent trigger for Wilson: A comment Payton made in his postgame news conference about a recent conversation he had with Giants owner John Mara.

New York had won two straight games since benching Wilson and putting rookie Jaxson Dart in the starting lineup. The Giants nearly won a third straight before Denver put up a record 33 points in the fourth quarter Sunday.

Payton said he'd been impressed with Dart and added, "They found a little spark with that quarterback. I was talking to John Mara not too long ago, and I said, ‘We were hoping that change would’ve happened long after our game.’”

The obvious translation: Payton would have preferred to face Wilson rather than Dart.

Payton and Wilson's relationship strained over their season together, and eventually, the Broncos head coach benched Wilson for the final two games of the 2023 season. Wilson openly claimed the Broncos threatened to bench him as early as the team's bye week that year if he didn't agree to move a guarantee date in his contract.

After the season, the Broncos released Wilson and took on a record $85 million dead cap hit spread over the 2024 season and this year.

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