Illinois legend Devon Witherspoon is reportedly closing in on a record contract extension with the Seattle Seahawks.
According to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport, the deal could net Witherspoon $32 million per year. That figure would be enough to make him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL.
Witherspoon, known by most
Illinois fans simply as ‘Spoon,’ has met his lofty expectations after being drafted fifth overall in the 2023 draft.
The Florida native has been selected to three straight Pro Bowls, along with a Super Bowl ring this past year.
In Super Bowl LX, Spoon showed his worth, recording a big-time sack, as well as making the hit that led to Uchenna Nwosu’s game-sealing pick-six.
Spoon couldn’t have gotten to the Super Bowl without his stop in Champaign. Illinois was the only major offer the unranked recruit from Pensacola would receive out of high school.
Even after the coach who recruited him, Lovie Smith, got replaced by Bret Bielema, Spoon didn’t leave. Instead, he was the key player of Illinois’ 2022 campaign, its best in over a decade.
That ‘22 team, which was Spoon’s senior season, boasted the #1 scoring offense in the country. With the likes of Johnny Newton, Sydney Brown and Witherspoon, a highlight play was always bound to happen.
Now, almost four years later, Witherspoon is closing in on a massive contract.
It seems that we will be watching him on Sundays for the next decade or so, however, his journey started on Saturdays in Champaign.
