Devon Witherspoon
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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 07: Devon Witherspoon #21 of the Seattle Seahawks reacts during the third quarter against the San Francisco 49ers during the game at Lumen Field on September 07, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Amanda Loman/Getty Images)
Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon may be positioned to push the NFL’s cornerback market beyond its current record of $31 million per season.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer identified Witherspoon and New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez as two players likely to drive the next increase at the position. The connection between them extends beyond their draft class and accolades: Both are represented by agent Reggie Johnson.
That shared representation gives Johnson visibility into two simultaneous negotiations involving young cornerstone defenders. According to Breer, the dynamics point toward Witherspoon potentially completing his deal first.
For Seattle, the question is not whether Witherspoon has earned a substantial raise. It is whether the Seahawks are prepared to establish another position-leading price after resetting the wide receiver market with Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Devon Witherspoon Has Reason to Aim Above $31 Million
The Los Angeles Rams established the current cornerback benchmark after acquiring Trent McDuffie and signing him to a four-year, $124 million extension.
The $31 million annual average surpassed the deals previously signed by Derek Stingley Jr. and Sauce Gardner. Breer argued that neither Witherspoon nor Gonzalez has much incentive to settle for only a marginal increase over McDuffie’s figure.
Witherspoon’s case rests partly on how many responsibilities he handles for Seattle.
He is not simply an outside corner assigned to follow an opposing receiver. The Seahawks can deploy him in the slot, send him as a blitzer, involve him against the run and use him in varied coverage assignments. That versatility makes direct contract comparisons difficult, but it also strengthens Seattle’s argument that he is central to the defense rather than interchangeable within it.
Witherspoon earned second-team Associated Press All-Pro honors for the 2025 season and was selected to his third consecutive Pro Bowl.
That résumé gives his representatives a straightforward argument: Seattle is negotiating with an accomplished, ascending player at a premium position.
Seahawks Have Time, but Waiting Could Raise the Price
Seattle exercised Witherspoon’s fifth-year option in March, keeping the 2023 No. 5 overall pick under team control through the 2027 season. He is scheduled to carry a cap charge of roughly $10.1 million in 2026, according to Spotrac.
That means the Seahawks do not face an immediate contractual deadline.
They could allow the market to develop, use another season to evaluate Witherspoon and revisit negotiations later. The risk is that Gonzalez or another elite cornerback signs first and pushes the benchmark considerably higher.
Seattle has already demonstrated the willingness to pay early when it believes a player is part of its long-term foundation. Smith-Njigba received a four-year extension worth approximately $168.6 million, including a $42.15 million new-money average that set a receiver record at the time.
Breer cited that commitment as a potentially meaningful precedent in Witherspoon’s talks. The receiver deal does not dictate what Seattle will pay a cornerback, but it weakens any suggestion that the organization refuses to make a non-quarterback one of the league’s highest-paid players.
Christian Gonzalez Adds Pressure to Seattle’s Decision
The shared-agent element matters because Witherspoon and Gonzalez do not have to negotiate in isolation.
Johnson can compare how Seattle values Witherspoon with how New England values Gonzalez, while each team must consider the possibility that the other contract will establish a more expensive floor.
Breer described Gonzalez as the more conventional outside coverage corner and Witherspoon as the multipurpose nickel defender. Both have second-team All-Pro selections, giving their representatives credible but different cases for a record deal.
Seattle’s leverage is time. Witherspoon’s leverage is that waiting may not make him cheaper.
The Seahawks can postpone the decision without risking his immediate departure, but a new agreement would secure one of their defensive centerpieces before another cornerback resets the market. With the franchise transitioning through a sale process and already investing heavily in its championship core, Witherspoon’s contract now stands as one of Seattle’s defining long-term roster decisions.