The Russell Wilson-Sean Payton fiasco has taken the NFL and sports world by storm, and Payton has decided to bench Wilson for the remaining two games of the 2023 season.

While the source of the conflict involved Wilson refusing to modify his contract, perhaps it comes down to the fact that Payton and Wilson may not be the best fit for the long term.

While reactions are strong on the internet, the likes of Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson on Nightcap, Colin Cowherd on his show The Herd, and other sports pundits have kept the topic in heavy rotation the past few days. ESPN’s Ryan Clark chimed in on Friday, stating that Payton “behaved like a thug” for how he has treated Wilson from the very beginning.

"Let's be honest: Sean Payton has behaved as a thug since he became the coach of the Denver Broncos. Immediately when he gets in the building, he starts to undercut Russell Wilson personally and professionally from his first press conference on." – Ryan Clark on "Get Up" this… pic.twitter.com/u3KxreAaIb

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 29, 2023

While we could debate the terminology that Clark used, it will be hard to deflate the perception that maybe Payton didn’t put his best foot forward in his relationship with Wilson.