A foundational piece of Mike Macdonald’s Seattle Seahawks is here to stay.
The Seahawks and cornerback Devon Witherspoon agreed to a four-year, $132 million contract extension with more than $101 million in guarantees, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Saturday. The deal will make Witherspoon the highest-paid cornerback in league history, topping the two-year, $62.2 million deal signed by the Cleveland Browns’ Denzel Ward earlier this offseason.
Witherspoon’s extension comes after a breakthrough of
sorts, with NFL Network and ESPN’s Ian Rapoport saying on Inside Training Camp on Saturday, Aug. 8, that a deal wasn’t close. With the All-Pro corner entering the fourth season of his rookie deal, there was certainly motivation on both the player and team’s side to get it done ahead of the regular season or, worse, before a contract year during his fifth-year option.
All eyes for cornerback contracts now turn to Christian Gonzalez of the New England Patriots, who has the same agent as Witherspoon and is seeking his own big deal.
Since Seattle selected Witherspoon with the fifth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, he has emerged as one of the league’s best cornerbacks and a crucial weapon in Macdonald’s defense. The three-time Pro Bowler and 2025 second-team All-Pro has notched two picks and 32 pass breakups across three seasons, with his versatility highlighted by 4.5 career sacks and a pair of forced fumbles, to boot.
With linebacker Ernest Jones locked in for another two seasons, Derick Hall newly extended, and Nick Emmanwori still on his rookie deal, the Seahawks have key young pieces in place for the foreseeable future. Now, after Witherspoon’s extension, they have potentially the most important player on their Super Bowl-winning defense tied down too.
