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Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton gave his flowers to New York Giants rookie Jaxson Dart following an epic Broncos win on Sunday.
But Payton wanted to face the veteran Super Bowl champion quarterback the Giants have behind Dart, Russell Wilson.
“They found a little spark with that quarterback,” Payton said of Dart during his postgame news conference following Denver’s 33-32 victory. “I was talking to [Giants owner] John Mara not long ago, and I said we hoped the change would have happened long after our game.”
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Head coach Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos talks with quarterback Russell Wilson (#3) on the sidelines during an NFL preseason football game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on August 11, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. (Ryan Kang/Getty Images)
While Payton may have simply meant that Dart gave his team problems (the Giants held a 26-8 lead late in the fourth quarter before a thrilling comeback), Wilson didn’t appreciate his former Broncos coach’s words.
These two have an obvious history, and Wilson considered his former head coach’s comments “classless.”
“Classless… but not surprised… Didn’t realize you’re still bounty hunting more than 15 years later through the media,” Wilson posted on
GIANTS’ BRIAN DABOLL TALKS ABOUT JAXSON DART OVER RUSSELL WILSON: ‘IT’S MY DECISION’
Wilson’s comment about “bounty hunting” is also a swipe at Payton’s scandal while he was head coach of the New Orleans Saints. The NFL found Payton’s team guilty of offering a bounty to selected players, leading to the head coach’s season-long suspension in 2012 as part of the league’s harsh punishment.
The relationship between Wilson and Payton was rocky, to say the least, after the former was traded from the Seattle Seahawks to the Broncos in 2022. It didn’t last long for Wilson, as Payton benched him in 2023 and he was released during the 2024 offseason despite Denver taking on a whopping $85 million in dead money.
Wilson finished 11-19 in his starts with Denver with playoff appearances.
Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos and Russell Wilson of the Denver Broncos watch from the sideline during an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings at Empower Field at Mile High on November 19, 2023 in Denver. (Ryan Kang/Getty Images)
Wilson certainly wasn’t happy about being benched in 2023, especially since he said the Broncos threatened to bench him earlier that year if he didn’t waive an injury guarantee in his contract. Wilson was guaranteed $37 million if he couldn’t pass a physical on the fifth day of the new league year in March 2024.
Greg Penner, owner and CEO of the Broncos, denied that the team ever threatened Wilson. He said they wanted to negotiate “in good faith” on contractual adjustments, although Wilson said he would involve the NFLPA. The NFLPA subsequently sent a letter to the Broncos stating that any threat would be a violation of the league’s collective bargaining agreement.
Still receiving pay from the Broncos, Wilson signed a one-year veteran’s minimum contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Giants then signed Wilson last offseason, as well as Jameis Winston, to provide a veteran presence around Dart, whom New York traded back in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft to Ole Miss.
Head coach Brian Daboll made it clear throughout training camp that Wilson was his team’s starter, but after just three straight losses to open the season, the switch was made to Dart. He then won his first NFL start in a huge upset over the Los Angeles Chargers, the Broncos’ AFC West foe, at MetLife Stadium in Week 4.
Russell Wilson of the New York Giants looks on from the sideline during the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium on October 9, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Dart and the Giants should have also been victorious in Denver, but a collapse of epic proportions occurred when Wil Lutz kicked a game-winning field goal to cement the NFL’s biggest comeback this season.
He remains Dart’s offense for the foreseeable future with Wilson backing him up in New York.
