Sean Payton has spent years building his reputation as one of the NFL's most accomplished head coaches. His success has also made him one of the league's toughest opponents, meaning few coaches can claim to have consistently gotten the better of him. Mike Macdonald, however, has already managed to do so.

Their first meeting came in 2024, when Macdonald led Seattle to a 26-20 victory over Denver. The win itself was impressive, but the story behind it was even more unusual, with Seattle finding an unconventional way to prepare for Payton's Broncos.

Macdonald recently revealed that the Seahawks studied roughly 100 plays from Denver's training camp that fans had posted publicly on social media. Payton eventually learned about it and, according to Macdonald, threatened to take the matter public and involve Seahawks general manager John Schneider.

Macdonald insisted Seattle had not cheated, creating a tense back-and-forth between the organizations. Looking back, the Seahawks coach compared the entire situation to a “Cold War.”

“It was almost it was like it's like the Cold War, ‘I'm gonna hit the button, I'm gonna hit the button, and we're gonna hit the button.’ Well, none of us hit the button.”

Eventually, neither side escalated the situation further. Still, Macdonald's story suggests that the incident created genuine tension between the two coaches, and some of that friction could remain today.

Sean Payton and Mike Macdonald Can Settle Their Differences Very Soon

The two coaches will have another opportunity to add to their rivalry this season. Denver is scheduled to host Seattle on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 8:15 p.m. ET at Empower Field at Mile High.

The matchup could carry significance beyond their history. Both teams have Super Bowl aspirations, making this a potential preview of Super Bowl LXI in Inglewood.

Payton and Macdonald will finally get another chance to settle things where it matters most: on the football field.

Written by

Joseph Nithin