No Movement On Seahawks-Devon Witherspoon Extension

Negotiations with fellow 2023 first-rounder Devon Witherspoon have not been as fruitful. The team submitted an offer to star cornerback three months ago, according to ESPN’s Brady Henderson, but there has been little movement in negotiations.

Witherspoon, 25, was the No. 5 overall pick in 2023 and immediately emerged as one of the most impact cornerbacks in the league. He posted 16 passes defended, eight tackles for loss, three interceptions, and one interception (which he returned for a touchdown) as a rookie, earning a Pro Bowl nod and a fourth-place finish in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. He was not quite as productive in the last two years in terms of traditional counting stats, but he still received a league-high 90.1 grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He was also selected to the Pro Bowl in both seasons for his efforts leading the one of the league’s best secondaries.

That performance should position Witherspoon to break into the top of a cornerback market that has grown significantly in the last year. Three players now sit at $30MM per year or more with Trent McDuffie‘s $31MM AAV leading the pack.

Theoretically, landing on a number should not be too difficult. Witherspoon’s contract should eclipse McDuffie’s; the only question is, by how much? The two sides seem to have very different answers to that question, as no deal is imminent, per Bleacher Report’s James Palmer.

One complicating factor is the Patriots’ contract negotiations with Christian Gonzalez, another 2023 first-rounder who counts himself among the league’s best corners. Gonzalez has not been quite as heralded as Witherspoon, so the latter is still expected to command a larger deal, Palmer adds. As a result, Witherspoon might be waiting to see what Gonzalez gets to ensure he gets an appropriate raise over his contemporary.