Seattle Seahawks‘ Devon Witherspoon still has two years left on his contract, but talks of an extension continue to ramp up. This offseason, Trent McDuffie signed a four-year, $124 million extension that includes $100 million guaranteed after being traded to the Los Angeles Rams.
As a result, Witherspoon could reset the market for cornerbacks if his representatives can get a better deal than the one that McDuffie signed.
Last season, Witherspoon played 720 snaps for the Seahawks. Moreover, he recorded an overall PFF defensive grade of 89.9 while intercepting one pass, breaking four passes in coverage, and recording 54 solo tackles in run support and open-field situations.
Amid contract extension talks between the Seahawks and Witherspoon’s representatives, Brady Henderson shared the latest on the matter.
“Whenever there’s motivation from both sides, and once the ball is already rolling like this, it could get done quickly, but I just don’t know if there has been that motivation from both sides,” Henderson said on the May 26 edition of “Bump & Stacy.”
“If you’re Witherspoon and you’re looking at Trent McDuffie, who just became the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL, I don’t know why you wouldn’t. Devon Witherspoon is a better player than Trent McDuffie. I have no question about that [and] I doubt he has any question about that, or his agent does; I don’t think the Seahawks have any question about that.
“I think ultimately this deal gets done, and he’s going to be the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL; I don’t say this part with any level of rock-solid intel, but my hunch is that it gets done probably on a similar timeline to a lot of these Seahawks extensions that we see get done early in training camp.”
Seahawks’ Devon Witherspoon Might Have Two Options in Talks
Moreover, Henderson notes that the situation comes down to two scenarios the player must choose from in this negotiation.
“I say that more so from the standpoint of what I think this ultimately comes down to. Remember, Devon Witherspoon has two years left on his contract. I think what this ultimately comes down to is that, if you’re the player and the agent, your first option is to make whatever he’s supposed to make this season, around $5.5 million or whatever it is.
“Option 2 is that you can make $25 million to $30 million in cash this year. I think that’s ultimately what it’s going to come down to. I think this deal gets done, and he becomes the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL.”
Devon Witherspoon Gets Contract Extension Prediction
Nonetheless, in a May 24 article, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox predicted a four-year, $125.5 million contract for the Seahawks standout. Moreover, this prediction would allow for Witherspoon to earn more than the Rams’ new cornerback.
“It’s entirely fair to debate whether [Christian] Gonzalez or Witherspoon has been the better cornerback since entering the league in 2023,” Knox wrote. “While Witherspoon is a three-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion, he’s been less consistent on a down-to-down basis.
“What can’t be argued is that Gonzalez and Witherspoon are two of the best young corners in the league and that they are likely to soon earn very similar contracts—not unlike 2022 draft-mates Sauce Gardner and Derek Stingley Jr., who sit just below McDuffie in terms of annual salary.”
Seahawks Insider Gives Clear Devon Witherspoon Contract Update