Mike Macdonald Confident Seahawks Will Finalize Devon Witherspoon Extension

Months have passed since the Seahawks made their first offer to Witherspoon, but few indications have emerged that a deal is imminent. Gonzalez, meanwhile, has received at least one market-topping bid from the Patriots. Neither player has skipped early training camp practices, something which has helped fuel optimism regarding a deal eventually being struck. Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald recently addressed where things stand on the Witherspoon front.

“I can tell you this: I couldn’t have any more confidence in our process and all the people involved in the whole operation,” Macdonald said (via ESPN’s Brady Henderson). “I think that’s the best way to describe it. I’m just really confident right now in where we are, in Spoon and all his people and the way we do business, so I’m just confident.”

Since the defending Super Bowl champions made the easy decision to exercise Witherspoon’s fifth-year option, he is under team control through 2027. The three-time Pro Bowler is currently owed $21.16MM for that season, but any long-term pact will cost much more. Both Witherspoon and Gonzalez are expected to reset the cornerback market. That would require surpassing the $31MM average annual value Trent McDuffie secured upon arrival with the Rams this spring.

It was recently reported talks between Witherspoon and the Seahawks were more advanced than Patriots-Gonzalez negotiations. On that note, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated predicts Seattle’s big-ticket CB pact will indeed be in place before New England’s. Based on Macdonald’s comments, optimism remains high within the Seahawks’ organization that an agreement will be officially reached in the near future.

Seattle moved quickly in extending fellow 2023 first-rounder Jaxon Smith-Njigba this offseason, making him the league’s highest-paid receiver along the way. The same has not yet taken place in Witherspoon’s case, but an agreement being reached shortly remains something to watch for.