Denny Medley-Imagn Images/Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images
Broncos coach Sean Payton and Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald
There is watching film on your opponent, and then there is apparently building part of your scouting report from 100 training camp plays Broncos fans uploaded to social media. Mike Macdonald says the Seattle Seahawks did exactly that before beating Denver in 2024, setting off a behind-the-scenes fight with Sean Payton that nearly became a public cheating scandal and legal battle.
Macdonald revealed the story during an interview with Graham Bensinger, explaining that Seattle gathered roughly 100 Broncos plays from videos fans had publicly posted online before his first game as an NFL head coach. Payton eventually learned about it, allegedly “lost it” and threatened to turn the whole thing into a Patriots-style “Spygate” controversy.
The Seahawks Basically Crowdsourced Their Broncos Film
This was Week 1 of the 2024 season.
Macdonald had never coached a regular-season game for Seattle, while Denver was preparing to debut rookie quarterback Bo Nix. There was naturally very little current film available for the Seahawks to study.
There was, however, Twitter.
“Fans will tape or post plays from training camp,” Macdonald explained, calling the material public knowledge. Seattle’s staff collected around 100 of those plays and studied them as part of its preparation.
The results did not exactly discourage the strategy.
Seattle won 26-20, held Denver to just 231 yards and intercepted Nix twice while forcing three total turnovers. Nix finished his NFL debut with 138 passing yards, no passing touchdowns, and a 47.5 passer rating.
Then Payton apparently discovered where some of Seattle’s homework came from.
Macdonald said Payton called Seahawks general manager John Schneider and threatened to publicly portray the situation as something resembling the infamous Patriots Spygate scandal. Payton apparently suspected Seattle had planted somebody at Broncos practices rather than simply searching social media for footage.
Macdonald insisted nothing like that happened.
NBC Sports documented Macdonald saying Seattle responded with its own threat: publicly accuse the Seahawks of cheating, and they would sue because the allegation was not true.
Normal Week 1 follow-up stuff.
Macdonald Says It Became A ‘Cold War’
Neither side ultimately pushed the button.
“It was like the Cold War,” Macdonald said, describing two organizations essentially threatening mutually assured destruction until Payton eventually dropped the issue.
There is a pretty funny postscript.
Denver’s current training-camp rules could hardly be clearer. Fans are told to keep phones in their pockets during practice, and the Broncos warn in all caps that NO PHOTOS OR VIDEOS ARE PERMITTED DURING PRACTICE.
Noncompliant fans can be removed.
That feels like one fairly effective way to prevent an opposing coaching staff from building another 100-play Dropbox folder out of fan tweets.
The Broncos and Seahawks meet again Oct. 15 in Denver, giving this previously secret feud a convenient national-TV reunion.
Most coaching rivalries start with a playoff game, a controversial call, or somebody running up the score.
This one apparently started because Broncos fans posted too much film on the internet.