The Denver Broncos wrapped up Wednesday’s practice as they prepare for the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football, but one of the bigger storylines of the week involves a hot mic situation with Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike McDonald talking about Broncos head coach Sean Payton.

Both coaches discussed it on Wednesday in their respective pressers.

Denver Broncos HC Sean Payton discusses Mike McDonald clip from hot mic interview

The Denver Broncos don’t play the Seattle Seahawks until Week 6 on Thursday Night Football, but it was revealed earlier this week in what appears to be a candid, off-the-record moment between head coach Mike McDonald and Graham Bensinger that Broncos head coach Sean Payton accused the Seahawks of cheating in 2024 after they obtained nearly 100 plays that were filmed by fans throughout training camp.

McDonald called Payton on Tuesday to personally apologize. During his presser on Wednesday following practice, Payton

“We spoke,” Payton said. “He and I are good. Lord knows I’ve been in his position where you’re talking about something… The story is three years ago. I don’t know [Seahawks Head Coach] Mike [Macdonald] at that time really, but I know ‘Schneids’ really well, [Seahawks General Manager] John [Schneider]. I’m sure my initial call to John wasn’t pleasant. But I would say this: in talking with him, it allowed us to figure out how to handle our training camp relative to just videos. I don’t think anything was intentional by fans, but at first, you’re kind of thinking, ‘How could…’ Then we did some research online of what was available, and that’s kind of how we changed our policy. So I’ve known John for 20 years, so it was an easy call to him. That’s really it.”

In McDonald’s media availability, he acknowledged the mistake.

“It’s something I didn’t intend for public use,” McDonald said. “But I felt like it was the most appropriate thing to reach out to Sean and just apologize to him for that to end up being public where it wasn’t meant to. “It’s something they had to deal with in real time that wasn’t really on their end. That’s where you’re like, ‘crap.’ It’s a lesson learned, honestly. I’ve got to be better in that moment. I’m responsible for what I say, no matter the circumstance — whether you’re mic’d up or not, or whether you have a certain type of understanding. I fell short in that moment; it stings for me, frankly, but it’s something I’m definitely going to learn from.”

No bad blood between the two. Both coaches handled this ordeal professionally, and it serves as a great reminder that any mic can be hot, whether you’re aware of it or not.