Devon Witherspoon contract: Seahawks star becomes NFL's highest-paid CB, raises bar for Christian Gonzalez — SkimNews
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- Devon Witherspoon signed a four-year, $132 million extension with the Seattle Seahawks averaging $33 million per year — surpassing Denzel Ward's $31.1M AAV to become the NFL's highest-paid cornerback, with $101 million guaranteed.
- Witherspoon, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Illinois, is just the third defensive back in the last 40 years to make the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons, joining Charles Woodson and Patrick Peterson.
- Witherspoon recorded 72 tackles, half a sack, seven passes defensed and one interception as the Seahawks won Super Bowl LX, allowing zero points through three quarters — the first team to do so since the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers.
- Christian Gonzalez and the Patriots now face heightened pressure after Witherspoon's deal reset the market; Gonzalez has been sidelined with a minor practice injury and posted a cryptic Instagram story featuring a Gunna song whose opening lyric is 'Should have been done by now.'
- Patriots owner Robert Kraft said on July 25 the team offered Gonzalez a deal making him the highest-paid player at his position and the largest contract in Patriots franchise history, though total value, guarantees, and AAV were not disclosed.
- The Seahawks also signed Jaxon Smith-Njigba to a four-year, $168.6 million extension making him the NFL's highest-paid wide receiver at $42.15M/year (1,793 yards, 10 TDs, 44.1% of team receiving yards) and Rashid Shaheed to a three-year, $51M deal, despite letting Boye Mafe, Coby Bryant, Tariq Woolen, and Kenneth Walker III walk in free agency.
Why it matters: The Seahawks locked up Witherspoon and Jaxon Smith-Njigba on record-setting extensions totaling over $300 million, completing their offseason to-do list. Witherspoon's $33M AAV now forces the Patriots to raise their offer to Gonzalez, who they already publicly claimed would be the highest-paid CB in NFL history — a claim Seattle just rendered obsolete.
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