Russell Wilson‘s exit from the Denver Broncos may not have ended on good terms, but his affection for the team has not changed. After head coach Sean Payton benched him, Wilson left the franchise in 2024. Now he is back in Denver with CBS, and his recent comments on his former team show nothing but support.

“I feel like I’m back home baby, a little bit,” Wilson said, speaking on CBS Sports. “I got kicked out of here a little bit, but I still feel like it’s home.”

Wilson joined CBS Sports’ The NFL Today as an analyst in June, and his comments gave a glimpse of his complicated relationship with the Broncos.

Wilson came to Denver in 2022 in a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks, with the expectation that he would lead the Broncos to a Super Bowl. His first season was disappointing, as the Broncos finished 5-12 and struggled to stay consistent on offense.

Things changed when Payton became head coach in 2023. Wilson showed improvement under him, but their partnership did not last. Payton benched him for the final two games of the season and eventually released him in March 2024.

Wilson’s contract carried a $37 million injury guarantee for 2025 that would have become fully guaranteed, so Denver moved on before that happened. The release still left the Broncos with a significant dead-cap charge.

Wilson’s next stops were Pittsburgh in 2024 and New York in 2025, where rookie Jaxson Dart eventually passed him on the quarterback depth chart.

The disagreement again appeared in public in October 2025 when Payton commented on rookie quarterback Dart after Denver’s game against New York. To which Wilson responded on social media, calling Payton “classless.”

That exchange again sparked conversations about the relationship between the coach and the former quarterback.

In 2024, the Broncos selected Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick in the NFL draft with the hope that he would bring stability and consistency that the team had lacked.

When Wilson returned to Denver for Week 8, Wilson praised Nix’s plays and the progress of his former team’s offense. He bet the odds in favor of the Broncos, proving his fondness for the team.

“[Denver Broncos] were struggling on offense, but my guy Bo Nix stepped up in a big way, and listen, he got some explosive play, a 62-yard touchdown,” Wilson remarked while holding up two footballs, one with a Chiefs sticker and the other with a Broncos sticker. “So I gotta go this, I’m going. I’m riding with the Denver Broncos. Let’s ride!”

Wilson then spoke to Payton directly, saying, “You may like me, you may not, but I’m picking you.”

Wilson did not just revisit the past. When choosing between the Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs, he picked his old team despite his history with Payton. He played 30 games across 2022 and 2023, throwing for 6,594 yards, 42 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions.

Wilson may have been pushed out, but he still appreciates the city, supports the team’s progress, and praises its quarterback. His time in Denver did not bring the success he hoped for, and his relationship with Payton made his departure bitter.

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