Payton didn’t say anything that all 32 HCs think, including Russell’s own. Thats why Russ is in fact a QB2.
Russell is the bully in poor taste. Sean Payton gets no bounty from Schefter for saying the obvious, obviously.
It was Russ and his Me3 press that smutted Payton for taking ownerships side over asking him to void an injury guarantee THROUGH 2025 that Russell could have earned with every one of the league high sacks he took in 2023. Which Payton would have taken the blame for. Yet even Payton didn’t bump DiNucci up to qb2 and Russ to qb3 in the two games where he made Stidham the starter.
Call it gentleman’s courtesy, or call it a veiled threat from me3. Russ has continued to enjoy it wherever he goes, be it Pittsburgh where he was emergency qb3 for six games, lost the last five but was still always formally qb1 on the depth chart, or the Giants, where the thought of having to put Russ into a live game is a Payton meme.