Ryan Clark calls Sean Payton 'a man still mourning his lover' and claims Broncos coach 'never treated Drew Brees the way he treated Russell Wilson' after QB's tense Denver exit
- Sean Payton 'would never have treated Drew Brees how he did Russell Wilson'
- Ryan Clark believes Payton acted like 'a man still mourning his lover' in Denver
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Former NFL player Ryan Clark has compared Sean Payton to 'a man still mourning his lover' and insisted he never treated Drew Brees the way he treated Russell Wilson in Denver last year.
Wilson was traded from the Seattle Seahawks to the Broncos in what turned out to be one of the worst moves in NFL history, signing a five-year, $242.6million deal in 2022.
The Broncos went 11-19 with the Super Bowl winner as their starting quarterback and failed to see the playoffs in both seasons.
When Payton took over in Denver following the disastrous reign of Nathaniel Hackett in 2023, things didn't get better and the head coach eventually benched Wilson with two games left of the season.
The Broncos then decided to cut Wilson before he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this month as a free agent.
![Ryan Clark says Sean Payton would neve have treated Drew Brees how he did Russell Wilson](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/24/15/82833077-13233079-image-a-13_1711294223682.jpg)
Ryan Clark says Sean Payton would neve have treated Drew Brees how he did Russell Wilson
![Payton benched Wilson for the final two games of last season before cutting the quarterback](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/24/15/82832629-13233079-image-a-19_1711294251730.jpg)
Payton benched Wilson for the final two games of last season before cutting the quarterback
Clark insists Payton's treatment of Wilson is completely different to how he coached Brees, his longtime quarterback at the New Orleans Saints.
Speaking to Stephen A. Smith, Clark said: 'If I'm a quarterback and I'm worth anything I do not go play for him.
'He's behaving like a man that is still mourning his lover.
'He never treated Drew Brees the way he treated Russell Wilson. And for all that you think Russell Wilson is no longer, as a player - what he showed us last year - he has class.'
Wilson will not have immediate competition for the starting job in Pittsburgh, after fellow new recruit Justin Fields 'was told he will be the Steelers' back-up to start the season'.
Fields' move from Chicago raised questions over whether there would be a battle for the starting job in Pittsburgh, but reports have claimed that Wilson will be uncontested to begin the new season.
![The Broncos cut Wilson before he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a free agent](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/24/15/82832635-13233079-image-a-21_1711294260977.jpg)
The Broncos cut Wilson before he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a free agent
Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette posted on X that the Steelers have 'told Fields he is coming in to be Wilson's backup'.
Given the two players' ages, that may change over time, with Fields just 25 and Wilson 35 and heading into the twilight years of his career.
Fields, meanwhile, was widely seen as expendable after the Bears landed the top pick of next month's NFL Draft, where they are expected to take a quarterback.
The return for Fields isn’t much, considering he was taken 11th overall by the Bears just three years ago.
Since then, the athletic Georgia native has tossed 40 touchdowns and 30 interceptions, while rushing for another 14 scores.
The Bears were 10-28 in games in which he started, and missed the playoffs in 2023.