Denver Broncos

Sean Payton saw the not-so-subtle jab Russell Wilson made toward him on social media on Tuesday ... but the Broncos head coach is adamant he wasn't shading his former quarterback with the comments he made after Sunday's game -- insisting he was simply complimenting Jaxson Dart.

Payton raised eyebrows after the Broncos pulled off an unbelievable comeback against the Giants ... when he told reporters postgame he had hoped Dart would remain the backup until after their Week 7 matchup -- which some saw as shade to Wilson.

Wilson -- the current New York Giants backup after losing the gig to the rookie -- sent a rare shot at his old coach on Tuesday ... and while he didn't mention Payton by name, it was clear who he was referring to in the post.

Shannon Sharpe is shedding light on his brother Sterling's Hall of Fame induction ... and despite all the headlines he made earlier in the week, he says it was "the proudest moment of my life."

Sharpe posted a carousel of photos from his trip to Canton, Ohio -- which ended with them becoming the first sibling duo to ever receive gold jackets.

"But long before that moment, two brothers beat the odds," he wrote. "Two brothers graduated grade school. Two brothers graduated college. Two brothers made it to the NFL. Two brothers built beautiful families. Two brothers stayed close. Two brothers trusted God. Two brothers gave back. Two brothers led with love."

Patrick Surtain II ain't jealous one bit that Sauce Gardner's new contract topped his ... in fact, he told TMZ Sports this week the $120 million deal the Jets star just inked is "great" for the future of their position.

The Denver Broncos cornerback chopped it up with us as he got ready with Raising Cane's for Wednesday night's ESPYS ... and when the topic of Sauce's big-money pact came up, he made it clear, he wasn't envious at all.

Surtain II -- who signed a four-year deal worth around $24 million less than Gardner roughly nine months ago -- explained he thinks it's "good for the position, for sure."

John Elway will not face criminal charges related to the death of his friend and agent, Jeff Sperbeck ... because the Riverside County Sheriff says they found nothing criminal.

Sheriff Chad Bianco spoke with the local NBC affiliate in Denver recently ... and he gave them an update on the investigation -- saying it's straight-up "over."

Bianco said, "We’ve talked to everyone involved and we found nothing new. There was nothing criminal, it was what we’ve been saying all along that this was a tragic accident.”

Cops have opened an investigation into the golf cart accident that's left John Elway's longtime friend, Jeff Sperbeck, fighting for his life, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Office tells us ... it's started to probe the matter -- which occurred on Saturday evening in La Quinta, Calif. -- but right now, everything is "purely informational."

We're told investigators are in the process of gathering info ... and conducting interviews with witnesses. Ultimately, cops say the goal is to determine if a criminal act occurred.

A former Denver Broncos special teams player has reached a settlement after filing a lawsuit over a season-ending knee injury he suffered during a game in 2022.

TMZ Sports broke the story -- Aaron Patrick tore his ACL in overtime of the Broncos and L.A. Chargers' "Monday Night Football" contest at SoFi Stadium after stepping on a mat in order to avoid colliding with an NFL official positioned on the sidelines.

The mat was placed on the turf to cover cords and cables for the league's instant replay monitors ... but Patrick claimed his foot got caught in it, causing his knee to bend awkwardly.

11:42 AM PT -- TMZ Sports has obtained Wilhoite's mugshot.

10:00 AM PT -- TMZ Sports has obtained more details on the arrest ... with a Denver Police officer claiming he was working a curb assignment on the East arrivals level of the airport around 2:09 PM when the alleged incident occurred.

The cop says he told Wilhoite he could not leave his 2021 Ford Bronco unattended, to which Wilhoite allegedly replied, "shut the f*** up" two times.

The cop claims Wilhoite bumped his chest into him, causing him to step backward. The cop says he then shoved Wilhoite ... who responded by punching him in the right side of the face with a closed left fist, forcing him to the ground.

It's not Jayden Daniels or Brock Bowers ... no, according to Patrick Surtain II, Bo Nix is the Rookie of the Year in the NFL this season!!

The Denver Broncos superstar made no bones about it while speaking with TMZ Sports out at a Raising Cane's bike giveaway event in Colorado on Monday ... explaining his quarterback is "my top vote."

"Whoever you got against him, I would love to see," the DB said. "Because Bo, he's been putting in the work since Day One."

Jameis Winston had a come-to-Jesus moment after the Browns' ninth loss of the season ... praying for the Lord to prevent him from throwing pick-sixes during his postgame interview.

The 30-year-old had numerous memorable moments against the Denver Broncos on "Monday Night Football" ... kicking things off with yet another classic pregame speech that even included the program's signature jingle.

Once the game was underway, so was the "Jameis Winston experience" -- the QB ended up breaking the Browns' single-game passing record previously held by Josh McCown by throwing 497 yards and four touchdowns.

Several fans got into a crazy brawl in the stands at the Chiefs vs. Broncos game on Sunday ... and things turned so violent, TMZ Sports has learned one of the guys involved was actually charged with assault.

The incident took place at some point during Kansas City's 16-14 win over Denver at Arrowhead Stadium.

According to video shot by a bystander, it all appeared to begin when a Patrick Surtain II supporter started throwing hands at a neighboring fan.

Taylor Swift gave security at Arrowhead Stadium a crash course in good manners on Sunday, telling one guard to speak a little nicer to the paparazzi.

The pop superstar arrived at the stadium in Kansas City to watch her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and his K.C. Chiefs battle the Denver Broncos on the field — but Taylor had her own itty-bitty skirmish behind the scenes before the kickoff.

Check out the video ... Taylor was being chauffeured in a golf cart through the arena with her mom and dad -- Andrea and Scott.

Broncos wide receiver Josh Reynolds was wounded during a shooting last week in Denver, the team announced on Thursday.

In a statement, the NFL franchise said Reynolds suffered "minor injuries" ... although it did not reveal any further details about the incident.

"Out of respect for the legal process," Broncos officials said, "we will defer further comment on this matter to the authorities."

Good news surrounding Denver Broncos running back Tyler Badie -- he is reportedly doing well following the medical scare he experienced during the team's 10-9 win over the New York Jets.

While the team has not officially provided an update on the 24-year-old's status ... multiple reports have come out saying he is "doing OK" and is "going to be alright."

Brandon Krisztal of KOA Colorado also said on X Badie even flew back to Denver on Sunday night, claiming he was on the same commercial flight as the running back and a member of the Broncos' medical staff.

2:40 PM PT -- Broncos head coach Sean Payton addressed the situation after the game ... saying there was no update on Badie's health.

A scary moment went down during the Denver Broncos' matchup against the New York Jets on Sunday ... when running back Tyler Badie collapsed on the sideline and needed to be stretched off of the playing area.

The incident happened shortly after Badie took a hit to the back from Jets linebacker Quincy Williams ... which forced a fumble that the home team recovered.

It seemed to be a routine hit ... considering Badie made his way back to the sideline. However, after the commercial break, he was on his back and being attended to by medical personnel.

A Denver Broncos fan got involved in a violent fight at the team's preseason game Sunday ... and check out footage from the scene -- he took more hits than some of the players on the field.

The tussle went down at some point during the Broncos' 38-12 win over the Arizona Cardinals ... when a guy holding a Coors Light tall boy started chirping with another spectator.

During the verbal spat, the guy with the beer lunged toward his foe ... and shortly after the jab step, he took a nasty punch to the face. A third fan then got in on the action, too ... throwing hands as the dude with the beer fell to the ground.