Mike Macdonald revealed that Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton was ready to go public with accusations of the Seattle Seahawks cheating in 2024.
The Seahawks head coach says the ordeal stemmed from the team using fan-filmed videos from Broncos training camp to prepare for a Week 1 matchup between the two clubs in 2024.
"Fans will post plays from training camp on Twitter, so it's like public knowledge," Macdonald said during an appearance on "In Depth With Graham Bensinger." "We took like 100 plays from their training camp. We're like scouting them."
Seattle went on to beat Denver 26-20. Macdonald said Payton "lost it" when he later got wind of what had happened and called Seahawks general manager John Schneider to confront the organization. The Seahawks then threatened to sue Payton if he publicly accused the franchise of cheating.
"He basically threatened to come out publicly and do a whole (New England) Patriots Spygate type of thing. I'm sitting there like, 'Oh my god. We didn't cheat.' (They) thought it was a Michigan thing where we had a plant and the whole thing. So, we had to counter with him to say like, 'If you come out with this, we're gonna sue you because it's not true.'"
#Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald says #Broncos HC Sean Payton threatened to accuse Seattle of a Spygate-style cheating scandal in 2024.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 22, 2026
Macdonald says they found training camp clips on X and used them to their advantage when they played.
(📽️ @GrahamBensinger)pic.twitter.com/xzRv3J6xh2
Macdonald added that Payton eventually backed down, which diffused the situation.
"It was like the Cold War," Macdonald said. "He goes, 'I'm gonna hit the button, I'm gonna hit the button.' We're like, 'We're gonna hit the button.' None of us hit the button."
Macdonald went on to say that he bumped into Payton in Indianapolis during the following year's NFL Scouting Combine, but the saga was never brought up.
Macdonald's Seahawks and Payton's Broncos will face off again this season Oct. 15.
