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Sean Payton Found a New Way to Troll the Vikings
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- Sean Payton Found a New Way to Troll the Vikings
Jay Biggerstaff
He just can't resist. Minnesota Vikings fans have a longstanding feud with Sean Payton , and Payton has a longstanding feud with the Vikings. This week, he took a backhanded shot at the injury of the resume of Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy .
Payton's newest Vikings swipe circles McCarthy, turning injury talk into an easy punchline.
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Why? Because that's what Payton does, a habitual pot-stirrer who loves undercover barbs at the Vikings.
Payton's Latest Vikings Jab Targets McCarthy
Payton's remark is vintage Sean Payton.
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton stands along the sideline during pregame warmups at Empower Field at Mile High, with Dec. 14, 2025 appearing mid-paragraph in Denver. Payton surveyed the field and staff as the Broncos prepared to face the Green Bay Packers in cold conditions ahead of kickoff. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images.
Payton Praises His QB's Durability, Throws Shade at McCarthy, Penix Jr.
Defending his quarterback, Bo Nix , who didn't play in the AFC title game last weekend with a broken ankle, Payton told reporters Tuesday, "He's been one of those players that, I would say, has been available. There were others in that draft class that weren't as available."
Five quarterbacks ventured out of the 1st Round of the 2024 NFL Draft: Caleb Williams , Drake Maye , Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy , and Nix. Williams and Maye have remained healthy; Penix Jr., McCarthy, and Nix have not.
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So, yes, Payton took a swipe at McCarthy and Penix Jr., insinuating that he got the draft decision right. The only quarterbacks he could have taken on his draftboard might have been McCarthy or Penix Jr. had he and Denver traded up a smidgen.
Praising a QB for Durability Who Just Missed the AFC Championship Is Wild
The wild part is that Payton is pounding his chest about Nix's availability as a trump card for Nix over McCarthy — while his team just lost the AFC Championship with a backup quarterback … because Nix was injured and not available.
Payton even admitted that Nix's ankle fracture was inevitable: "What was found was a condition that was predisposed — they always find a little more when they go in. It wasn't a matter of if, it was a matter of when. When you look at the play and you're trying to evaluate it — the operating surgeon said that this was going to happen sooner than later."
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"Now, you go about the rehab, proper orthotics, all those things. So listen, he'll rehab his tail off and get ready and get back to being healthy. I think for someone who runs with the ball, I think he's done a pretty good job of protecting himself, not all the time, but for the most part, he's done a pretty good job of sliding and understanding playing for another day."
One might argue that Nix missing the AFC Championship is a bigger deal than any games missed by McCarthy or Penix Jr.
McCarthy's Injury History Is Real, Though
While Payton might be annoying, twisting the knife for no good reason, he isn't wrong about McCarthy.
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Minnesota picked McCarthy 10th overall in 2024, and since that moment, he's missed 70% of all Vikings games, mainly due to a torn meniscus in his rookie season. He's also battled a high ankle sprain, concussion, and hairline hand fracture.
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton watches from the sideline during first-half action at Empower Field at Mile High, with Jan. 25, 2026 embedded mid-paragraph during the AFC Championship Game. Payton remained focused as Denver navigated postseason intensity, managing situational decisions under national spotlight conditions. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images.
And when McCarthy hasn't been hurt, he ranked last in the NFL per EPA+CPOE among his quarterback peers in 2025.
Penix Jr., meanwhile, tore his ACL in October, his third such injury in the last half-decade.
The Payton Draft "Controversy"
Vikings fans don't like Payton because of his role as the architect of the New Orleans Saints ' 2009 bounty program. Payton and his coaching staff paid players to injure players, and the NFL even suspended Payton for the entire 2012 season in the fallout.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy scans downfield during early action at U.S. Bank Stadium, with Nov. 16, 2025 placed mid-paragraph in Minneapolis. McCarthy worked through his reads from the pocket as Minnesota opened its game plan against the Chicago Bears in a divisional matchup. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images.
Moreover, when Minnesota beat Payton's Saints in the 2017 Divisional Round, Payton prematurely mocked Vikings fans with the Skol Chant before his team suffered one of the most egregious collapses in NFL history: The Minneapolis Miracle.
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Yet, even on this issue — Nix or McCarthy — Payton has tried before to get the upper hand.
After the 2024 draft, Payton said he "pretended" to drive up the Vikings' trade price during the draft. Per credible reporting, he really wasn't pretending.
Payton also excitedly said to reporters on the first night of the 2024 draft. "I was actively involved in trying to pretend we were moving forward. It's this time of the year, and it's difficult … Man, you just don't want others to know our focal point."
The guy admitted to his desired manipulation — proud of it, even. He apparently wanted to induce Minnesota to use more trade capital in the quest for McCarthy, a quarterback ultimately chosen by the Vikings.
Two years later, he's mocking McCarthy's injury history. The guy doesn't stop. He's compulsory.
