Macdonald reveals Cold War with Payton

During an interview, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald recounted a tense conflict with Broncos coach Sean Payton that unfolded during the 2024 season after their Week 1 matchup.

Seahawks used fan videos for prep

The Seahawks collected fan-posted videos from Broncos practices on social media as part of their game preparation, treating them as public knowledge.

Payton discovered the tactic mid-season

Payton learned how the Seahawks used the videos in the middle of the season and called GM John Schneider, reportedly furious about the practice.

Payton threatened Spygate-style exposure

Payton threatened to publicly accuse the Seahawks of cheating similar to the Patriots Spygate scandal, believing they had planted a spy like Michigan's scheme.

“He basically threatened to come out publicly and do a whole Patriot Spygate type of thing.”

Seahawks countered with legal threat

Macdonald said the Seahawks responded by threatening to sue Payton if he made false public accusations, since they had not actually cheated.

“If you come out with this, we're going to sue you because it's not true.”

Standoff ended without resolution

Payton eventually dropped the issue, but Macdonald described the situation as a Cold War where both sides threatened escalation but neither followed through.

“It was like the Cold War. He's like, 'I'm going to hit the button.' 'Well, we're going to hit the button.' None of us hit the button.”

Payton may face questions before Week 6

The two teams meet again in Week 6, and Payton will likely be asked to respond to Macdonald's account of the conflict.