Russell Wilson invokes bounty scandal in responding to criticism from Sean Payton

Russell Wilson has broken character.

The veteran quarterback, who is legendary for saying all the right things at all the right times, sidestepped his public persona and fired a shot at Broncos coach Sean Payton on Tuesday.

After Sunday’s thrilling win by Denver over Wilson’s current team, Payton said that he hoped New York’s change from Wilson to rookie Jaxson Dart “would have happened long after our game.” The message is clear — Payton strongly preferred facing Wilson to taking on the rookie.

Said Wilson on Twitter: “Classless… but not surprised…. Didn’t realize you’re still bounty hunting 15+ years later through the media.” Wilson added a couple of laughing emojis and a “Let’s Ride” for old time’s sake.

The “bounty hunting” remark refers to the scandal that saw Payton suspended for the entire 2012 season.

Payton’s comments surely bugged Russ or he wouldn’t have dignified them with a response. Still, it’s not as if Payton is on an island with his opinion.

When Dart was being checked for a concussion 12 days ago, fans at MetLife Stadium were not thrilled about Wilson’s return to action, to say the least. And the entire controversy regarding whether the Giants violated the concussion protocol flows from coach Brian Daboll’s desire to find out whether Dart would be available for an upcoming fourth-down play.

Daboll made it clear that, if Dart was available, Daboll would have called a time out before going for it. Which implies that Daboll would not have gone for it with Wilson under center.

The ligering tension also traces to the late-season benching of Wilson in 2023. The goal was to keep Wilson from suffering an injury that would have prevented the Broncos from cutting him in March 2024 and avoiding his 2025 compensation. If he’d been injured, the Broncos would have owed Wilson $39 million in 2024 (which was paid, minus $1.21 million earned in Pittsburgh) and $37 million in 2025. The benching cost Wilson $37 million that he regarded as guaranteed.

And so, on a day when Jets owner Woody Johnson made a largely unprecedented verbal assault on the abilities of a player, Wilson had a moment that seemed unscripted and human.

If these things happen in threes, we can’t wait to see what’s next out of New York.