Seahawks Urged to Extend Devon Witherspoon Before His Value Skyrockets

Devon Witherspoon is in line for a massive extension, and his price tag is only going to increase.

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon talks to media members at the San Jose Marriott. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Selected fifth overall in the 2023 NFL draft, Devon Witherspoon has developed into one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL. During his third season with the Seattle Seahawks, Witherspoon earned the top PFF grade among all cornerbacks with an 89.9 overall.

One of the centerpieces of the Seattle defense, Witherspoon enters his fourth year in the league and is eligible for a contract extension. With room under the salary cap, it would be wise for the Seahawks to go ahead and lock up Witherspoon now.

Devon Witherspoon should be extended sooner rather than later

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon reacts after a play during the second half against the Minnesota Vikings. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Seattle could of course wait to extend Witherspoon, especially since he's under contract in 2026 and as a first-round pick, the Seahawks could pick up his fifth-year option to keep him around in 2027. In the long run, that could cost them more money, which is why Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox says they should extend him before the regular season.

"The Seattle Seahawks have done a nice job of restocking their Super Bowl-caliber roster through free agency and the draft. They must now turn their attention to extending one of their top defensive contributors—and they should do it sooner rather than later," Knox wrote.

"Devon Witherspoon has proven himself to be a top-tier cornerback, and he became extension-eligible this offseason. He's quite likely to become the NFL's highest-paid cornerback whenever he signs a new deal, but the same could be said for extension-eligible Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez."

Witherspoon will have more leverage if Christian Gonzalez signs a deal first

New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez during the third quarter against the Seattle Seahawks. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Taken 17th overall in the same 2023 NFL draft, Gonzalez was one of the primary reasons the New England Patriots weren't completely blown out by the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. He recorded three pass defenses and held every receiver he covered in check, including superstar Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

If Gonzalez gets to the table first, he will set a new high, which will become the floor for Witherspoon. As it stands now, that floor was set by Trent McDuffie, was traded to the Los Angeles Rams this offseason and then agreed to a four-year, $124 million extension with $100 million guaranteed.

That $31 million per year average will only go higher, which is why Seattle should attempt to get ahead of New England on this one.

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