Russell Wilson clapped back with a straight-up response to Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton’s comment, which seemed to take a shot at the QB. With things heating up fast, Payton had to step in and do some quick damage control. He denied that his comment after the 33-32 win over the New York Giants involved Wilson, who was benched in favor of rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.

“The euphoria, the way that game unfolded, that was strictly about Dart,” Payton told the reporters. “That was in no way, shape, or form anything that was directed at Russ. I might be able to see how he would perceive that. But coming off that win and watching how he played, that wasn’t any intention at all.”

Right. Like Payton said, it’s not hard to understand why his words were interpreted as a dig at Russell Wilson.

“They found a little spark with that quarterback (Dart),” Payton had said after the game. “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.”

Nevertheless, whatever his comment might have meant, Wilson wasn’t the only one who took issue with it.

Unlike his enigmatic message, ESPN‘s Michael Wilbon was rather straightforward as he called out the coach for being a “classless bum.” He, too, felt that was a shot at Wilson.

“That’s what he behaves like … Russell Wilson’s got as many Super Bowl rings as Sean Payton,” Wilbon said on Pardon the Interruption. “And been to one more. And Sean Payton will tell you about the Super Bowl he went to as an assistant and try take credit for that. Who do you think you are? You can’t just take shots at people. I wish Russell Wilson would have gone further.”

Now, given the coach’s past with Wilson, many couldn’t help but connect the dots. The Broncos had once reportedly threatened to bench him in 2023 unless he waived his injury guarantee. And Wilson’s latest comments only added more fuel to the fire.

Russell Wilson dragged up an old incident to call out Sean Payton

Before Payton’s denial comment, Wilson took to X to share his opinion. “Classless… but not surprised,” he wrote about the coach. “Didn’t realize you’re still bounty hunting 15+ years later through the media.” He ended the message with the catchphrase, “#LetsRide,” that he used at press conferences during his brief two-year stint with the Broncos.

But “bounty hunting”? With this comment, Wilson may have referred to Payton’s one-year NFL suspension in 2012 for his involvement in the “Bountygate” scandal (2009-11) when he was the head coach of the New Orleans Saints. The NFL found that during that time, the Saints had rewarded players for hard hits on opponents.

On the other hand, when Payton joined the Broncos, Wilson’s stint with him ended quickly after he was benched just before the last two games in the 2023 season. The quarterback had 11-19 with the Broncos. The team later released him despite the consequent $85 million in dead money.

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Now, the question is whether Payton’s damage control will actually work. We will see!