Sean Payton Threatened to Accuse Seahawks of Spying, Mike Macdonald Reveals

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald disclosed that Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton threatened to publicly accuse the Seahawks of spying during the 2024 season. The accusation stemmed from the Seahawks' use of publicly available training camp video clips from the Broncos.

In an interview on "In Depth With Graham Bensinger," Macdonald explained that the Seahawks had gathered around 100 plays from the Broncos' training camp footage, which fans had posted online. This information was used for scouting purposes ahead of their season-opening game.

Macdonald stated that Payton discovered Seattle's use of these clips and reacted strongly, believing it constituted cheating. "He got wind of it and he lost it," Macdonald said. "He basically threatened to come out publicly and do a whole Patriots Spygate type of thing."

Payton's accusation, according to Macdonald, suggested the Seahawks had an informant within the Broncos' organization, drawing parallels to the sign-stealing scandal that affected the University of Michigan, where Macdonald previously served as a defensive coordinator.

"They thought it was a Michigan thing where we had a plant and the whole thing," Macdonald recounted. "I’m sitting there like, ‘Oh my god. We didn’t cheat.’"

In response to Payton's threat, the Seahawks countered with their own legal threat. "So we had to counter with him and say, ‘If you come out with this, we’re going to sue you because it’s not true,’" Macdonald explained.

Macdonald described the situation as a "Cold War" that ultimately de-escalated after the season concluded, with neither side taking further action. The Seahawks defeated the Broncos 26-20 in their Week 1 matchup.