Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton was hoping to take on former quarterback Russell Wilson when they took on the New York Giants this past Sunday. He got rookie Jaxson Dart instead.
This caught Wilson’s attention.
“Classy… but not surprised… Didn’t realize you were still bounty hunting 15+ years later through the media,” Wilson wrote on
Wilson was responding to comments made by Payton after Sunday’s game, which the Broncos won 33-32 with a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback.
“I have enormous respect for [the Giants] organization,” Payton said. “I spent four of my first years there coordinating a Super Bowl, the first game in that stadium before 9/11, working closely with the Mara family and Tisch.
“They found a little spark with this quarterback. I was talking to John Mara not too long ago and said we were hoping the change would happen long after our game.”
The change Payton was referring to was Wilson moving to Dart as the starter. The comment seemed to strike a chord with the usually passive and reserved Wilson.
Wilson participated in the “bounty hunting” search at his former coach. This was in reference to a scandal with Payton’s New Orleans Saints team from 2009 to 2011, in which a cash bounty scheme for hits was run by former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.
As a result, Payton was suspended for the entire 2012 season without pay.
Dart became the Giants’ starter last month when Wilson was benched after three games. It brought new life to a once-dormant New York offense. The rookie scored four touchdowns Sunday (three passing, one rushing).
It 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 Broncos and Giants fans.
Wilson was traded by the Seattle Seahawks to the Broncos in 2022, but his time in Denver ended abruptly the following season when he was benched by Payton in 2023 and ultimately released during the 2024 offseason despite $85 million in dead money. The relationship between coach and quarterback had deteriorated. It does not appear to have been repaired.
The Broncos went 11-19 during Wilson’s starts over two seasons and failed to make the playoffs.
Some of the roots of Wilson’s hard feelings toward Payton may stem from Wilson’s claim that the Broncos threatened to bench him earlier in the 2023 season if Wilson did not 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 that the team had threatened to bench Wilson because of the guarantee and that they had attempted to negotiate “in good faith” over any potential contract adjustments. At the time, Wilson said the NFLPA “got involved” and that the NFLPA sent a letter to the Broncos saying such a threat would constitute a violation of the league’s collective bargaining agreement.
ESPN’s Jeff Legwold contributed to this report.
