Former Vikings QB Rips Sean Payton
Led by Sean Payton, who is loathed by Minnesota Vikings fans, the Denver Broncos advanced to the AFC Championship on Saturday, taking down the Buffalo Bills in a thriller. Soon after, former Vikings quarterback Tommy Kramer teed off on Payton, a rare shot from Kramer, who usually stays in his lane regarding feuds.
Payton’s name still lands differently in Vikings circles, and Kramer remembers.
Of course, fans loved Kramer’s criticism, as Payton will remain Public Enemy No. 1 in the Twin Cities indefinitely.
Tommy Kramer Rekindles the Sean Payton Feud
It’s Kramer vs. Payton all of a sudden.
Kramer’s Tweet
Like Vikings faithful, Kramer evidently has a long memory. Fox Sports posted a video of Payton defending his team’s controversial interception, with the Broncos skipper [naturally] claiming the pick was clean and legitimate.
Kramer retweeted the clip with his caption: “He’s the type of guy who will badmouth his friend to his friends girl thinking that will give him a chance with her, and bad mouth a coworker to the boss thinking it would give him a better position. COWARD.”
Here’s the full exchange:
At the time of this article’s publication, Kramer’s tweet had been viewed by over 180,000 people.
Why Vikings Fans Despise Payton
The beef between Payton and the Vikings didn’t appear overnight in 2026. It’s been simmering for more than 15 years, tracing back to the 2009 NFC Championship Game, when Payton’s Saints ended Minnesota’s Super Bowl run and denied the Vikings a matchup with Peyton Manning’s Colts.
That loss later took on a darker significance. It emerged that New Orleans had operated a bounty program targeting Brett Favre, a revelation that led to Payton’s suspension for the entire 2012 season. Saints defenders were incentivized to knock Favre out of the game, and the nefarious scheme was obvious to anyone with eyeballs.
Favre has since said the hits left him so disoriented and concussed that he cannot remember the final stretch of the contest. When Bountygate became public and the penalties were handed down, any remaining goodwill vanished. Vikings fans formulated a grudge that stands to this day.
And in the 17 years since, Payton has always found a way to take shots as the Vikings, usually with coded messaging.
Kramer Not a Firebrand
It’s also worth noting that Kramer personally is not one to go on the attack. Some former players, for example, aren’t afraid to get feisty on social media. Kramer is not one of those guys.
For Kramer to speak up, retweet, and state his opinion suggests that he remembers BountyGate and/or has it on good authority that Vikings fans’ perception of Payton is accurate.
Vikings enthusiasts also don’t like Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph after the defender tore tight end T.J. Hockenson’s ACL in 2023. But Joseph is an example where Kramer wouldn’t say anything on X. He’d let it go. Therefore, his comments on Payton hold a bit more oomph.
DEN in the AFC Title Game Regardless
None of this changes the fact that Payton’s team will compete next Sunday with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. His Broncos took down Josh Allen’s squad, and all things considered, have a reasonable path to partake in Super Bowl LX, as the New England Patriots are one of the weakest AFC Championship combatants in recent memory. The Patriots faced one of the easiest schedules in the NFL, and they tried everything in their power last weekend to donate the Divisional Round game to the Houston Texans.
Payton also won’t have his QB1. Bo Nix broke his ankle late in Saturday’s game, and QB2 Jarrett Stidham will lead the way in the AFC Championship.
The Broncos skipper said about Stidham, “I would say this, in fairness to what you’ve seen, which is very limited: He’s ready, He’s ready. I said this at the beginning of the season. I feel like I’ve got a [No. 2 quarterback] that’s capable of starting for a number of teams, and I know he feels the same way. Watch out. Just watch. He’s experienced, he’s played in games. They’re different type players to some degree.”
CBS Sports‘ Tyler Sullivan noted, “Stidham will be the seventh quarterback to make his first career start of the season in the playoffs. Frank Reich is the only one of the prior six to lead his team to a win. He’s also the first quarterback to make his first start in the conference championship since Roger Staubach in 1972.”
“What Stidham is attempting to do is essentially unprecedented, and will need to defy history if he wants to get Denver over the hump with an AFC Championship win and a trip to Super Bowl LX.”
The Patriots are favored to take down Payton and Co. by five or six points. Most Vikings fans hope the oddsmakers are correct.
You must be logged in to post a comment.