Children, please….

Russell Wilson and Sean Payton have history, extending back to their ill-fated association in Denver during the 2023 NFL season, but both saw fit to throw shade on the other following the clash between their current teams on Sunday.

With Wilson no longer under center for the New York Giants, who lost to Payton’s Broncos in dramatic fashion in the best of the late window games at the weekend, the veteran coach managed to weave a subtle dig at his status into his postgame narrative, disguised as praise for Big Blue’s rookie hope, Jaxson Dart.

“You know, they found a little spark with that quarterback,” Payton told the media after the Broncos escaped with a last-gasp 33-32 victory. “I was talking to [Giants owner] John Mara not too long ago, and I said, ‘We were hoping that that change would have happened long after our game’.”

The inference that he would rather have faced Wilson in Week 7 (or, ostensibly, Jameis Winston, who also remains on the Giants’ roster) is plain to see, and circles back to that 2023 campaign where Payton inherited the former Seattle stalwart after Nathaniel Hackett’s firing — and promptly removed what he saw were luxuries being afforded to a quarterback who was underperforming. Wilson was traded to Pittsburgh at the end of the season, with Denver absorbing a large part of his salary such was the desire to move on, and flamed out as a Steeler too, leaving the club, along with backup Justin Fields, for another fresh start in New York.

Understanding the slight that had been dealt during the press availability, Wilson felt obliged to fire back, taking to social media and referencing perhaps the darkest period in Payton’s coaching career: Bountygate.

“Classless … but not surprised,” Wilson posted. “Didn’t realise you’re still bounty hunting 15+ years later though the media.”

Payton wisely attempted to defuse the situation by using a subsequent press call to categorically deny that he had been taking a veiled shot at his former QB.

“The euphoria, the way that game unfolded, that was strictly about Dart,” he told reporters by way of explaining his comments on Wednesday. “That was in no way, shape or form directed at Russ. I might be able to see how he would perceive that but, coming off that win and watching how [Dart] played, that wasn’t any intention at all.”

What is clearly a case of handbags at dawn is unlikely to have an impact on either individual’s season, with the Broncos pushing for a playoff spot at the head of the AFC West and NYG looking to move off the bottom of a closely-matched NFC East, but the pair could potentially face off again should Wilson end up being traded ahead of next week’s deadline.