Russell Wilson fires back at Sean Payton after Broncos coach reignited feud with brutal comment about Giants star

Giants star Russell Wilson branded Sean Payton 'classless' as he hit back at the Broncos coach over his thinly-veiled dig at the quarterback.

Payton reignited his feud with Wilson after Denver's win over New York on Sunday, when the Broncos edged a 33-32 thriller despite more flashes of brilliance from rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.

Dart took over from Russell just four games after the former Super Bowl winner signed a one year, $10.5million deal in New York.

Following Sunday's game, Payton heaped praise on Dart and suggested he would have preferred to face Wilson.

'They have found a little spark with that quarterback,' the Broncos coach said. 'I was talking to (Giants co-owner) John Mara not long ago and I said we were hoping that change would have happened long after our game.'

On Tuesday, Wilson could not resist a dig back at Payton. The Giants quarterback did not reference the coach by name but he wrote on X: 'Classless… but not surprised.'

Wilson added: 'Didn’t realize you’re still bounty hunting 15+ years later through the media.'

There has been tension between Wilson and Payton since 2023, when they worked together in Denver. Late in the second of two tumultuous seasons with Denver, the quarterback was benched - in part to prevent him from suffering an injury.

Had Wilson got hurt - and failed to pass a physical in March 2024 - he would have been guaranteed $37m from the Broncos.

Wilson's mention of 'bounty hunting,' meanwhile, was a reference to a scandal that saw Payton suspended without pay for the entire 2012 season.

While he was head coach in New Orleans, the Saints were found to have introduced a bounty system which saw players paid bonuses for acts including deliberately injuring opponents. 

The system was in place from 2009 - the season the Saints won the Super Bowl - to 2011, with nearly 30 players taking part in the program.

In March 2012, the NFL revealed the findings of an investigation. Payton was found to have been aware of the bounty system and had not done anything to shut it down.