NFL Exec Says 'Every Team' Looks for Edge with Social Media Videos After Mike Macdonald's Comments

Multiple NFL coaches and executives shrugged off Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald's admitted use of social media videos in scouting, noting that it is commonplace in the league.

Speaking to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, an anonymous high-ranking team executive called the situation a "nothing burger," adding, "Every team does it."

An anonymous coach agreed, saying, "It's very common. We all do it. Everyone does."

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Meanwhile, an anonymous general manager called the controversy "absolutely nothing" and "a waste of time."

Earlier this week, a clip went public from Macdonald's appearance on In Depth With Graham Bensinger (h/t ESPN's Brady Henderson ), and in it, Macdonald admitted to using clips of training camp practices posted by fans on social media in order to scout the Denver Broncos prior to their 2024 regular-season opener.

"Fans will post plays from training camp on Twitter, so it's like public knowledge," Macdonald said. "We took like 100 plays from their training camp. We were scouting them."

Macdonald noted that Broncos head coach Sean Payton was initially furious about the tactics after finding out about them, going so far as to contact Seahawks general manager John Schneider.

"He got wind of it and he lost it," Macdonald said. "This is the middle of the season, and we won the game. We were in the fight our first year. There was a lot of s--t going on. So, he called John. He basically threatened to come out publicly and do a whole Patriot 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 and say, 'If you come out with this, we're going to sue you because it's not true.'"

One day after the story began making the rounds, Macdonald told reporters he apologized to Payton for it becoming public.

Payton then told reporters he has "a ton of respect for" Macdonald, adding, "He and I are good. Lord knows I've been in his position, you know, you're talking about something. The story is about three years ago."

Macdonald has enjoyed enormous success during his time as the Seahawks' head coach, posting a 26-10 record over parts of three seasons.

After narrowly missing the playoffs with a 10-7 record in his debut season, Macdonald led Seattle to a Super Bowl win last season.

The Seahawks are off to a 2-0 start early in the 2026 campaign, and they look like a threat to make another deep playoff run.