Sean Payton tempers feud with Russell Wilson, says postgame comments were 'strictly about Jaxson Dart'

The public back-and-forth between Sean Payton and his former quarterback, Russell Wilson, has spilled over well past Week 7's game between the Broncos and Giants. As expected, Payton has responded to Wilson calling the Broncos coach "classless" on social media -- that, in response to comments Payton made following last Sunday's dramatic, come-from-behind win over the Giants, for whom Wilson is a backup to Jaxson Dart. 

Wilson clearly took exception to Payton saying that he had hoped the Giants wouldn't have replaced Wilson with Dart until "long after our game," but Payton responded Wedesday that his original comment "was strictly about Dart" and "in no way, shape or form, anything that was directed at Russ."

"I might be able to see how he might perceive that, but coming off that win and watching how [Dart] played, that wasn't [my] intention at all," Payton said. 

While Payton enjoyed a legendary partnership with Drew Brees during their years with the Saints, he and Wilson had one of the ugliest coach-quarterback relationships in NFL history. Even the feud between former Cowboys coach Barry Switzer and QB Troy Aikman looked tame by comparison. 

Russell Wilson and Sean Payton's feud explained: How years of tension led QB to call his ex-coach 'classless'

Cody Benjamin

After two tumultuous years together, Payton and Wilson both got want they wanted: a breakup and a fresh start with someone else. Payton has found success again with second-year quarterback Bo Nix, who appears poised to lead the Broncos back to the playoffs for a second straight year. 

Conversely, Wilson is trying to find his professional footing after having an up-and-down season in Pittsburgh and losing his job this season in New York to Dart, who appears to be this year's version of Nix.