Did Broncos' Sean Payton take a shot at Steelers' Russell Wilson?

Shortly after the Denver Broncos suffered a 31-7 wild-card playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills this past Sunday, Bleacher Report shared a short video that featured an animated version of Denver head coach Sean Payton saying his current situation was "so much better than last year" when the club was attached to veteran quarterback Russell Wilson. 

Perhaps Payton saw that clip. 

"Obviously, we're still not there yet, but we're a lot closer than we were at this time a year ago -- that was misery, sorrow, drudgery -- gimme some other adjectives -- that was brutal, let's say that," Payton said while speaking with reporters during his end-of-season news conference on Wednesday, as shared by Jeff Legwold of ESPN. 

Nick Farabaugh of PennLive, Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot and some social media users quickly pointed out that Payton seemed to be taking a shot at Wilson. 

Shortly after Payton officially became Denver's head coach in February 2023, it was suggested that he had "no choice" but to work with Wilson and could look to part ways with the one-time Super Bowl champion as soon as possible. 

Payton eventually benched Wilson in December of that year to keep the veteran healthy so that Denver could eat the largest dead cap hit in NFL history to show the signal-caller the door last March. Later, somebody within the Broncos claimed that Wilson "struggled with snap counts" and "couldn't manage or handle the play-calling" under Payton. 

While Wilson signed a team-friendly deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers in March 2024 and helped that club earn a playoff berth, Payton received some criticism for making Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix the 12th overall pick of last year's draft. That decision worked out quite well for Payton, as Nix became a legitimate Offensive Rookie of the Year Award candidate who already looks like a long-term answer for Denver at the sport's most important position. 

Meanwhile, it's unclear if Pittsburgh will bring Wilson back for another season. 

"I know this, he's very conscientious. ... I think it's all in front of him," Payton said about Nix on Wednesday. "I've said this before, I think we've found that player that can lead us and be what we need relative to having the success that we're used to having. I think we found him."

It seems to be a safe bet that Payton won't be calling Wilson anytime soon about possibly serving as Nix's backup and mentor.