4 minSports
Seahawks' Macdonald Reveals 'Cold War' With Broncos' Payton Over Alleged Spying
Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald says he used about 100 publicly posted practice videos to prepare for Denver in 2024, prompting Broncos coach Sean Payton to threaten a Spygate-style public accusation before backing down.
Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald has disclosed that his staff collected roughly 100 Denver Broncos training-camp plays from videos posted by fans on social media in 2024, a scouting move that he said triggered a furious reaction from Broncos coach Sean Payton and a season-long standoff between the two franchises.
In an interview with Graham Bensinger, Macdonald said the material was publicly available and that he used it to prepare for Seattle's season opener against Denver. The Seahawks won that game 26-20 at Lumen Field in Russell Wilson's first return to Seattle after leaving the team.
According to Macdonald, Payton learned midway through the season that Seattle had pulled the plays from social media and «lost his mind.» Macdonald said Payton called Seahawks general manager John Schneider and «basically threatened to come out publicly and do a whole Patriots Spygate type of thing.»
Macdonald said he was stunned by the accusation. «And I'm sitting there like 'Oh my God, we didn't cheat!'» he recalled.
The dispute did not become public at the time. Macdonald said Schneider threatened to sue if Payton went ahead with the accusation, producing what he described as a «Cold War» standoff in which neither side pressed the button.
The two coaches crossed paths again after the season at Macdonald's Indianapolis hotel during the week of the NFL Combine. Macdonald said he was preparing for a confrontation but instead found Payton acting as if nothing had happened. «I was kind of like over him, and he was just like, 'Hey coach,' and he totally backed down in that moment,» Macdonald said. «I was like, 'Oh, man. That's great.'»
The episode differs sharply from Spygate, the 2007 scandal in which the New England Patriots were found to have deliberately violated league rules by filming opposing coaches' signals. Macdonald's account describes no rule-breaking: the Seahawks simply gathered footage that fans had already made public. Seattle, like many teams, restricts recording of its own camp practices after individual periods end, a policy that reflects prudence rather than an attempt to gain an illicit edge.
For Payton, the account adds another entry to a complicated reputation. He was suspended for the entire 2012 season for his role in the New Orleans Saints' Bountygate scandal, in which the team paid players to knock targeted opponents out of games. More recently, he appeared to take a swipe at Wilson after Jaxson Dart replaced him as the New York Giants' quarterback, saying he had told Giants co-owner John Mara that «we were hoping that change would've happened long after our game.»
Macdonald suggested the relationship remains frosty. «He's not my biggest fan,» Macdonald said of Payton.
The timing of Macdonald's disclosure is notable. A year ago, he would have had little reason to share such a story. Winning a Super Bowl has given him the standing to speak freely, and his account makes clear he believes he needed no shortcuts to reach the top.
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