We’ve followed the saga for most of the offseason as two of the top cornerbacks taken in the 2023 NFL Draft have played the waiting game, expecting to reset the market for the cornerback position. Recent reports have claimed that Seattle’s Devon Witherspoon is further along in extension talks than New England’s Christian Gonzalez, but that suits one of them just fine as Mike Giardi of CLNS reports that Gonzalez is looking to surpass whatever numbers Witherspoon lands in an extension “by a lot.”
Both defenders are expected to beat the current NFL highs held by Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner and Rams corner Trent McDuffie, who both benefitted from what essentially ended up being sign-and-trade deals. The Jets signed Gardner to a four-year, $120.4MM extension — good for $30.1MM per year — just before the 2025 season then traded him to Indianapolis for two first-round picks. McDuffie was traded from the Chiefs to the Rams in exchange for first-, fifth-, and sixth-round picks in 2026 and a third-rounder in 2027 and almost immediately signed a four-year, $124MM extension — good for $31MM per year.
Witherspoon just finished the 2026 NFL season as the highest-graded cornerback in the league, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). This came after he graded out as the sixth-best cornerback his rookie year and the 18th-best last year. Witherspoon has been a Pro Bowler all three years of his career and earned second-team All-Pro honors for the first time last year. Gonzalez missed all but four games in his rookie season but looked extremely impressive in the short sample. He came back with a vengeance in 2024, ranking as the 14th-best cornerback, per PFF, and earning second-team All-Pro honors. This year, Gonzalez repeated in his 14th rank and was voted to his first Pro Bowl.
As the league calendar turned over, both teams made it known they would work towards extensions for their respective star corners. Gonzalez, actually, was the first of the four parties to break the ice, telling reporters that he “no doubt” wanted to stay in New England shortly after losing to Witherspoon in Super Bowl LX. As the offseason found its way into June, it seemed Witherspoon was far from getting a deal done, while reports indicated Gonzalez was headed for a deal by Week 1. Witherspoon made a big jump over the next month, going from “no movement” to further along than Gonzalez.
Unlike many players who enter training camp expecting a new deal, it doesn’t seem either cornerback has any intention of holding out. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Gonzalez has really impressed head coach Mike Vrabel with his decision to be a full participant amidst contract negotiations. “I cannot express (more) the professionalism that Gonzo has started camp with,” Vrabel told reporters. “It’s clear that he wants to improve, that he wants to be the best at his craft and at that position. I think that he’s made that known by the way he’s come out here to practice.”
Witherspoon may be closer than Gonzalez to signing the dotted line that will make him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL, but it seems to be in Gonzalez’s plans to go in that order. That’s because, as Giardi puts it, Gonzalez isn’t looking to beat Witherspoon by just a little bit, he’s “looking to beat (him) by a lotta bit.”