Mike Macdonald says Sean Payton accused team of cheating after Seahawks used fan videos to scout Denver's offense
Mike Macdonald says Sean Payton accused team of cheating after Seahawks used fan videos to scout Denver's offense
Chris CwikTue, September 22, 2026 at 5:28 PM UTC
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Fan videos are becoming a popular scouting tool among NFL coaches.
When NFL training camp starts next season, coaches might want to be careful about what plays they run in front of fans. Thanks to the era of social media, videos from team training camps are more prevalent than ever … and that exact issue nearly led to some significant cheating accusations going public a few years ago.
Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald revealed Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton grew furious with the Seahawks in 2024 and eventually threatened to publicly accuse the team of cheating.
Payton apparently believed the Seahawks employed SpyGate-like strategies or went into full Connor Stalions mode to steal signals from the Broncos before a game. As Macdonald explained during an interview with Graham Bensinger, Seattle's method was much simpler — and did not break any NFL rules.
To get an edge on their Week 1 opponent in 2024, the Seahawks scouted fan videos of plays the Broncos ran during training camp.
The tactic worked, as the Seahawks won the contest 26-20, giving Macdonald his first-ever win as an NFL head coach.
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But once Payton got word that the Seahawks had his plays, he reportedly grew furious at Seattle general manager John Schneider. Macdonald claimed Payton vowed to make his accusations public, at which point the Seahawks told the coach they would sue him over making false allegations. Macdonald said that was enough to get Payton to back down.
It's not the first time fan videos have come under scrutiny this season. In early September, Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley said opposing teams were using fan videos from training camp to do advance scouting.
While that was likely never the intention of teams that open training camp to the public, it's not something that can really be curbed under the current format. Once a video hits social media, it's public information. The NFL can't ask opposing coaches not to look at something that's widely available.
But repeated stories of this ilk could result in teams cracking down on videos being taken during training camp. If NFL teams don't want to go that route — or find it too hard to police — coaches may start to get even more conservative when the public is watching practice.
If Macdonald's story confirms anything, though, it's that NFL coaches will do whatever it takes to get an edge. And if that means someone spends a day dissecting oddly angled fan videos to determine what route a team's X receiver runs out of a specific formation, that's fine. It's well worth the information gained in the end.
Source: “AOL Sports”
