Broncos head coach Sean Payton reportedly has a strict set of ground rules during the preseason, which Jets receiver Garrett Wilson doesn’t need to respect.
Payton is public enemy No. 1 in Florham Park after torching Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and the team’s roster-building strategy, and Wilson seemingly got his shot in at the Broncos’ new head coach Saturday by mocking Payton’s team rules.
The list of regulations coach Payton has been trying to establish are as follows, according to NFL Network: No uniforms after playing, no sunglasses, no bucket hats and no in-game interviews.
So, what did the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year do as his team obliterated the Panthers, 27-0, in a preseason game?
Just casually showed up to a mid-game interview with sunglasses and a bucket hat.
The only rule Wilson maintained was that he wasn’t in uniform, but that’s because he didn’t play in the game itself.
It marked the latest potential twist in the ongoing Broncos-Jets saga, which started earlier in training camp when Payton called out Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett for his coaching disaster with Denver in 2022. Payton said it “might have been one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL.”
That led to Robert Saleh, Aaron Rodgers, Allen Lazard and others defending Hackett, and the drama even made an appearance during the first episode of “Hard Knocks” on Tuesday.
Payton later said he regretted the comments.
Wilson seemingly got in a dig at Payton in his own creative way Saturday with his noticeable fashion choices during his interview.
The 2022 No. 10 pick, who recently turned 23 years old, caught 83 passes in his rookie campaign and recorded 1,103 yards with four touchdowns.
Wilson established himself as the Jets’ top receiver and became the team’s first-ever NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year as a result, thought fullback Matt Snell and quarterback Joe Namath won AFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in back-to-back seasons in 1964 and 1965, respectively.
Payton’s first preseason game with the Broncos resulted in an 18-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Friday evening.
Russell Wilson, who Payton is tasked with getting back on track after a highly-disappointing and borderline comedic 2022 season, threw for 93 yards and a touchdown, completing 7 of 13 pass attempts.