The relationship between Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton and former Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson appeared to be strained from the very beginning. And now that Wilson is gone, Payton has no issue with sending a shot at him on his way out.
The Broncos of course released Wilson this offseason, eating $85 million in dead cap over the next three seasons in the process.
Despite this, when asked in a recent interview whether the decision to release Wilson and eat the dead money was a “difficult” one or not, Payton responded with a firm “no”.
#Broncos HC Sean Payton with a one word answer on whether or not it was difficult to move on without Russell Wilson, 85 Million dollar dead cap hit and all pic.twitter.com/oYheLj5Pju
— Bob Pompeani (@KDPomp) March 26, 2024
The bluntness of this response from Payton is pretty jarring. It seems pretty clear that Payton at least played a part in the decision to cut Wilson. And now, fans are taking things a step further, suggesting that Payton may even “hate” Russell Wilson.
Damn… Sean Payton HATES Russell Wilson.
😳😳😳
That was the easiest NO I’ve ever heard.
pic.twitter.com/iNQ3Ye09Ff— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) March 26, 2024
He was fed up with Let’s Ride Country
— LordWhiteWalker (@LordWhiteWalker) March 26, 2024
This brother HATES Russell Wilson’s guts😂😭 https://t.co/BDXX8ZqF71
— Sammy (@sammy______G) March 26, 2024
This is like after 2022 when they asked Shanahan if there was any chance Jimmy was coming back and he was like no right away 🤣 https://t.co/5dSYdjFhJM
— Where’s the offensive lineman? (@kittlefacts) March 26, 2024
Payton and Wilson did of course have their fair share of issues together in their tenure in Denver, whether it be Payton throwing Wilson under the bus for his play, or even yelling at each other during games on the sidelines.
Maybe Payton is just eager to start a rebuild with a new quarterback. But based on just the blunt response to this question, it sure seems like there may be a bit of underlying resentment there from Payton.
Regardless, the Russell Wilson era is over in Denver. And Payton will now have the chance to show what he can do with another quarterback at the helm.
The Broncos currently have the likes of Ben Dinucci and Jarrett Stidham in their quarterback room, but are largely expected by most to select a quarterback in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft.
