‘Classless’: Russell Wilson claps back at his former coach after recent comment

The bad blood between Russell Wilson and Sean Payton seemingly hasn’t been mended since Wilson’s exit from Denver in 2024.

Russell Wilson is typically reserved about people taking shots at him, but there was one comment from an old coach that the Super Bowl champion couldn’t stand.

After Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton said he hoped Wilson’s New York Giants would play Wilson, who played for the Broncos for two seasons but got rookie Jaxson Dart instead, Wilson took to Twitter to let his ex-coach have it.

“Classless… but not surprised…. Didn’t realize you’re still bounty hunting 15+ years later through the media,” Wilson tweeted on Tuesday (Oct. 21), followed by a few laughing emojis and the hashtag #LetsRide, a callback to a catchphrase he used while he was the quarterback for the Broncos.

Classless… but not surprised….
Didn’t realize you’re still bounty hunting 15+ years later through the media. #LetsRide

— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) October 21, 2025

Payton made the comments after the Broncos came back with a furious fourth-quarter rally to beat the Giants, 33-32.

“I have a ton of respect for [the Giants] organization,” Payton said. “I spent four of my early years there coordinating a Super Bowl, first game in this stadium before 9/11, close with the Mara and Tisch family.

“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 change Payton was referring to was the Giants’ benching Wilson in favor of Dart. Wilson’s “bounty hunting” jab referred to Payton’s scandal when he was the head coach of the New Orleans Saints. From 2009 to 2011, former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams ran a cash-for-hits bounty program. 

The scandal ultimately caused Payton to be suspended for the entirety of the 2012 NFL season.

Wilson and Payton’s bad blood might be due to Wilson’s belief that the Broncos had threatened to bench him earlier in the 2023 season if Wilson chose not to waive an injury guarantee in his contract. Wilson was subsequently released by the Broncos and spent last season as the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers before signing a one-year deal with the Giants earlier this year.

Wilson was traded to the Broncos in 2022 after a sterling career with the Seattle Seahawks, resulting in two trips to the Super Bowl and one Super Bowl trophy. In two seasons with Wilson as the starter, the Broncos went 11-19 and missed the playoffs both years.