The Seattle Seahawks have made their first major financial statement of the offseason and it’s a big one. With Jaxon Smith-Njigba now locked in, the attention immediately shifts to who could be next in line for a payday. That’s exactly where we’re taking things on this week’s live episode of The Hawks Eye, as I’m joined by salary cap expert and Seahawksdraftblog.com contributor Curtis Allen to break it all down.
Seattle’s decision to extend JSN isn’t just about rewarding production it’s about identifying
a foundational piece of the offense moving forward. The timing, structure, and long-term impact of the deal all signal how John Schneider and this front office view their window. But as always in the NFL, one extension leads to bigger questions.
At the top of that list is Devon Witherspoon.
If JSN is now locked in as a core offensive weapon, Witherspoon represents the same kind of cornerstone on the defensive side. The question isn’t just if Seattle will extend him—it’s when, and at what cost? Cornerback markets have continued to rise, and Spoon’s trajectory suggests he could command top-tier money sooner rather than later. Does Seattle get ahead of that? Or let it play out?
Using the contract the Rams gave Trent McDuffie, as well as how the Seahawks structured the JSN deal, this is what Curtis came up with as a rough draft for a Witherspoon extension.
“I don’t know if they’ll go four years with with Witherspoon,” Allen said, “whether he’ll want to go four years or not, but it’s the same. It’s a very similar structuring. And if you look again at 2026, it’s not a big hit on the cap this year. As a top five pick, he already has a pretty good salary for his fourth year. So, I think his cap hit is 10 million right now. So, just a couple smillion dollars more on the cap.
“And then just like JSN in 2027, they gain a bunch of cap room because the fifth-year option was so expensive and then this has the effect of sort of watering things down a little bit with the issue of keeping the base salary down. So they pick up in essence almost $8 million and change almost $9 million in 2027. So it’s very good. And then you know you’re looking at it through the years—when it gets really hairy is 2030.”
Keep in mind that wide receiver and cornerback markets are not the same, as Allen notes. He has another alternative contract that could happen.
“In the cornerback market, there’s just not as much top-line contracts coming up. I mean, the next biggest one is Christian Gonzalez. And so that that could happen this year, it could happen next year. So really, there’s not a whole lot else. There’s the two guys in Philly, Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell, but that’s like 2028. So there isn’t like, okay, we’ve got to get ahead of a huge market bump at this point.
“So, this is like a four-year, $124 million that Trent McDuffie got so 31 million a year. I could see the [Seahawks] doing something like this, but also maybe a three-year $100 million deal. Um, something. Basically it would be 2028, 2029, and 2030 and then he’d be a free agent in 2031.
“There’s definitely room to make these moves. And you know every time the Seahawks have a good draft, I I’m inundated with questions like, ‘Oh, how are how are they going to afford all these guys when the time comes?’ They do. It happens. Things work out. You know, some of the older players fall off. They’re a little bit more flexible and as far as using void years and restructuring a contract to pick up some cap room. That’s another area where they’re able to do it very well. And so Devon Witherspoon and JSN are guys that you want locked down through their prime years.”
Full Witherspoon talk can be watched at the 10:45 mark of the video below.
We’ll also dive into the idea of potential upcoming extensions beyond just Spoon. Is there another name that could surprise this summer? How aggressive should Seattle be in locking in their young core early?
Curtis Allen brings the perfect perspective to this conversation. His ability to translate complex cap mechanics into clear, actionable insight makes this a must-watch for anyone trying to understand how these deals actually impact roster building.
And of course, with the NFL Draft right around the corner, we’ll close things out with a live mock draft. How do these contract decisions shape Seattle’s approach? Where should they prioritize value versus need?
If you’re looking to understand not just what the Seahawks are doing, but why they’re doing it, this is the show for you.
Stay Loud, Be Proud & Go Hawks!
