Sean Payton alongside Russell Wilson Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Things clearly did not work out between Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos. And one report suggests that head coach Sean Payton’s treatment of Russell Wilson was a big reason why.

During a recent appearance on 93.7 The Fan, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette claimed that Sean Payton did not treat Russell Wilson well during their time together in Denver.

“One thing that always struck a chord with me about Russell Wilson’s tenure in Denver was Sean Payton went out of his way to make things difficult with their relationship,” Fittipaldo said according to Yardbarker.

“Really putting a Super Bowl-winning veteran quarterback in places that were just odd for me to see him. The way he talked about him in the media. His body language in games, the yelling on the sidelines. You don’t see that every day.”

Fittipaldo went on to suggest that Payton was “toxic” in how he dealt with Wilson.

“Sean Payton does have a reputation in the NFL of being a guy who’s difficult to deal with. So that’s another reason I want to give Russell the benefit of the doubt with the Steelers,” Fittipaldo said. “Sometimes just getting away from a toxic coach can be a good thing. Maybe you get into a more positive situation. Maybe you can get back to where you were in Seattle. … That whole Sean Payton thing always struck me as odd, the way he treated Russell Wilson.”

It will certainly be interesting to see how Wilson performs in Pittsburgh now that he’s no longer with Payton.

[Yardbarker]