EDWIN HOOPER/SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
Throughout the offseason program and training camp, Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon had been waiting to sign a contract extension. And while he could have chosen to sit out of the voluntary offseason workouts, or any part of training camp, he didn't and now he and his team got the deal done.
"Feels good, man," Witherspoon said. "Long time coming, but it feels good to get it done."
While he was waiting for the contract extension, he said his teammates "made it easy" to stay focused throughout the process.
"When you're coming in and coming to work with guys like D-Hall, (Derick Hall), EJ (Ernest Jones IV), Leo (Leonard Williams) and Murph (Byron Murphy II), it means everything to me," he said. "It's easy to take the pressure off you because now I know what they're about and they know what I'm about. It's just easy to come out here and focus on football."
He said he was "updated throughout the whole thing."
"But my mind was here and focused on being with my team and going out here, practicing and getting better every day."
Witherspoon who is coming off a season where he was named a Pro Bowler for the third time is as many seasons, is set to be in Seattle for the long haul, after signing the four-year extension.
"It's kind of something you always dreamed of, but it's kind of something that I knew [would happen] as well," Witherspoon said. "We talked about it before and everything like that. It's like, I know I'm going to be here. I know this is where my heart is. So that was never coming into question. So it just feels special to get it done."
And he said, to an extent, this is exactly what he pictured when he was drafted No. 5 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
"Kind of, but I didn't have an idea of how it was going to go. Only thing on my mind when I got drafted here was to be the best me every day and try to win this city a Super Bowl."
His contract makes him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history, but make no mistake that he'll continue to be frugal despite the money.
"I'm cheap with it now," he said. "Don't ever get that confused. I'll always be cheap with it, but I'm going to take care of the guys for sure."
He added, "When it happens, it's like that's really real. It ain't fake. But for me, it means a lot to me, but at the same time, it's nothing to me at the same time because it's like I got a team here, you feel me? And I'm trying to win though. So all that is love. I appreciate all that, but I'm focused on building with my team right now."