‘WILD!’ ‘I Don’t Like That’ — Seahawks Champ Leads NFL World’s Outrage Over Sean Payton’s Alleged Spygate 2.0 Threat to Mike Macdonald
· Yahoo Sports
The Seattle Seahawks went 14-3 last season to earn the NFC’s No. 1 seed before running roughshod over the competition to win the second Super Bowl in franchise history.
But their success has also produced some unusual tension, including a behind-the-scenes dispute with Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos.
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Sean Payton Allegedly Threatened Seahawks to Go Public With ‘Spygate’ Accusation
Since Macdonald became head coach, defense has become the Seahawks’ calling card. Seattle finished No. 1 in PFN’s Defense Impact Metric in 2025 and ranks No. 2 through two games in 2026.
Macdonald recently revealed in a candid chat that Payton took issue with Seattle’s use of roughly 100 publicly posted videos from Broncos training camp to prepare for their Week 1 matchup in 2024. According to Macdonald, Payton responded by threatening to publicly accuse the Seahawks of a Spygate-style violation.
“He’s not my biggest fan,” Macdonald revealed to Graham Bensinger. “So, my first year, and we played them our first game. Fans watch, fans will tape, or post plays from training camp on Twitter. So it’s like public knowledge. So we took like a hundred plays from their training camp. We’re like scouting them.”
That apparently didn’t sit well with Payton. “Spygate” refers to the 2007 scandal involving the New England Patriots’ unauthorized videotaping of opposing coaches’ signals, which resulted in significant penalties from the NFL.
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The team was fined $250,000, head coach Bill Belichick had to pay $500,000, and they also forfeited a first-round draft pick.
According to Macdonald, Payton viewed Seattle’s use of the footage as serious enough to warrant a public accusation of Spygate.
“So he called Johnny (Seahawks GM John Schneider), basically threatened to come out publicly and do it like a whole Patriot Spygate type of thing. I’m sitting there, like, ‘Oh, my God.’ We didn’t cheat.”
Macdonald said the Seahawks then threatened legal action if Payton publicly accused them, arguing that Seattle had not violated the rules. Ultimately, the dispute remained behind the scenes — until Macdonald recounted it publicly.
Macdonald’s account quickly sparked strong reactions on social media, with some fans criticizing Payton.
“I love that Mike Macdonald just came out and said this lol,” one fan wrote. “Sean Payton is so soft for trying to accuse the Seahawks of cheating just because he lost to them.”
“Mike Macdonald really might be the new Belichick lol,”a fan from Boston commented. “Listen to this story.”
“This is wild and the kind of story a coach never shares publicly,” one fan suggested, hoping for Payton to add some additional drama to the story. “Stay for the end, too….you just know Payton will have a response.”
“Can’t say for sure, but it does kind of feel to me that Mike Macdonald didn’t know they were rolling here,” one fan wrote. “This is way, WAY more candid than you usually get from an NFL head coach when they know a camera is on and a mic is hot.”
James Palmer of the NFL’s coverage on Prime recounted the entire story, claiming, “This is WILD!!!”
“MacDonald, in prep for the Broncos, found roughly 100 videos fans posted on social media at Broncos training camp and used them to prep for Denver. Payton found out, threatened the Seahawks with a spygate exposure, Seattle threaten a lawsuit. And that’s not it!”
Former Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman defended Macdonald’s approach, arguing that he was simply following Seattle’s mantra of ‘Chasing Edges’.
“Mike Macdonald is chasing edges. What do you think the whole Seahawks mantra is about? Chasing edges. Doing everything you can within the rules to find an edge to help your team win.”
Sherman also argued that Seattle had not crossed a line because the training camp footage was publicly available. As a result, he believed other teams could review publicly available training camp footage if they chose to.
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“This isn’t drones over practice filming when you don’t know. This isn’t you’re getting ready and game planning for our team, and we’re filming practice. Don’t make it more than what it is. That is different.”
Sherman ultimately called the situation a ‘non-issue,’ framing Seattle’s approach as an example of Macdonald looking for an advantage within the rules. With the story now public, Payton could have an opportunity to respond before Denver and Seattle meet again in Week 6.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.