The Devon Witherspoon contract talks this offseason may cause turmoil right before the 2026 season, which the Seattle Seahawks can’t afford to let happen. According to reports, the defending Super Bowl champions have made an initial offer to the standout cornerback, but Witherspoon has to accept the deal. Witherspoon, a former first-round pick, became the staple of this team’s secondary, helping this team’s air attack to become one of the best since the Legion of Boom era. The cornerback suffered a concerning injury last season, causing him to miss five games, but he managed to return and put up a total of 72 combined tackles (48 solo), seven pass deflections, one interception, and one fumble recovery.
Earlier this offseason, the Seahawks exercised his fifth-year option, so if they can’t come to terms on a new extension, the team doesn’t necessarily have any worries, for now. The good news is that the standout is showing up for voluntary offseason work. However, it all could change suddenly if Witherspoon doesn’t feel valued. If the team continues to stall, it could spell bad news for next offseason.
Devon Witherspoon Contract: Stalled Talks May Cause Panic
The Waiting Game
What’s interesting is that New England Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez shares the same agent as the Seahawks CB. The two could be waiting for one or the other to make a move. If Gonzalez winds up signing an extension before Witherspoon, the contract demand will get pricier, which is something the Seahawks must avoid. The Seahawks CB will probably want to reset the market, similar to what new Rams CB Trent McDuffie did earlier this offseason.
Additionally, right behind McDuffie, who leads the market, are Sauce Gardner, Derek Stingley Jr. and Jaycee Horn. Let’s state the obvious here: Witherspoon is special. There aren’t a lot of cornerbacks who have come into the league lately, other than nickleback Caleb Downs, who was just drafted by the Dallas Cowboys, that make an early impact. The Seahawks CB is versatile, an elite tackler, and can pretty much do it all.
It’s hard to replace someone like that. With that, the Seahawks are shooting themselves in the foot right now. Seattle could raise the price because the fact that the cornerback hasn’t signed the new extension is very telling. It doesn’t mean a trade will come this offseason, but just expect the worst to come if they start the 2026 season with the standout corner just on a fifth-year option.
Sinking Seahawks Soon?
It’s hard to repeat as champions once again unless you’re the Patriots or the Kansas City Chiefs. This doesn’t mean QB Sam Darnold isn’t elite, but the ceiling is raised for him, and other teams mentioned in this article are hungry for a championship. The good news? The team extended Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Rashid Shaheed to new deals to solidify the pass game for Darnold.
However, that came with a price to pay. The Seahawks lost starting RB Kenneth Walker to the Chiefs while losing Boye Mafe to Cincinnati and Riq Woolen to Philadelphia. The team drafted Jadarian Price to hopefully emerge as a valuable downhiller runner to supplement Zach Charbonnet, but they didn’t bring in a high-stakes cornerback other than re-signing Josh Jobe to a three-year deal. What this means is that there is more responsibility coming for Witherspoon, which isn’t a bad thing on paper.
Although that could also be his reasoning why he’s demanding a bigger deal, and rightfully so. Here’s where it comes down to: don’t be surprised if the team decides to trade away the cornerback next offseason. It’s not something out of the question if Seahawks GM John Schneider doesn’t truly value the cornerback position. If the team didn’t bring back Woolen, who’s to say Witherspoon is truly safe long-term?
