Devon Witherspoon contract: Seahawks star becomes NFL’s highest-paid CB, raises bar for Christian Gonzalez

There’s a new highest-paid cornerback in the NFL, as Devon Witherspoon and the Seattle Seahawks have agreed to a four-year, $132 million extension that includes $101 million guaranteed, per ESPN. The contract averages $33 million per year, surpassing the $31.1 million average Denzel Ward of the Cleveland Browns secured last month.

All eyes were on Witherspoon and New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who were both looking to reset the cornerback market. Seattle beat New England to the punch, and the Patriots will now be forced to raise their offer. Gonzalez has not practiced with the team in recent days due to an injury. 

Devon Witherspoon

SEA • CB • #21

View Profile

Witherspoon has been one of the NFL’s top cornerbacks since the Seahawks selected him with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Illinois. In fact, Witherspoon 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. He recorded 72 tackles, half a sack, seven passes defensed and one interception as the Seahawks went on to win Super Bowl LX.

Witherspoon is a pillar of this new-look “Legion of Boom.” Maybe they’d rather be known as the “Dark Side,” but the bottom line is that this unit boasted the NFL’s top scoring defense last season and finished No. 6 in total defense.

Mike Macdonald’s defense is the backbone of this team, and that was evident in the Super Bowl win over the Patriots. The Seahawks became the first team to allow zero points through three quarters of a Super Bowl since the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers.

Highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL

Seahawks take care of their core

This was the final item on Seattle’s offseason to-do list. The Seahawks had to make some tough decisions in recent months, including allowing pass rusher Boye Mafe, safety Coby Bryant, cornerback Tariq Woolen and reigning Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker III to walk in free agency. However, the Seahawks prioritized other players.

Star wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who earned unanimous first-team All-Pro honors and won Offensive Player of the Year last season, inked a four-year, $168.6 million extension that made him the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver at $42.15 million per year. JSN caught 119 passes for a league-leading 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns. He accounted for 44.1% of Seattle’s receiving yards, the highest percentage of any player in the NFL.

Seattle also re-signed trade-deadline addition Rashid Shaheed to a three-year, $51 million deal. Last year, he became the fifth player in NFL history to record 800 yards from scrimmage and three return touchdowns in a season, including the playoffs. Shaheed also became the first player since Tyreek Hill in 2016 to return three touchdowns in a six-game span. He’s more than just a special teams demon, as Shaheed’s 10 catches on passes traveling 40-plus air yards since entering the NFL rank second in the league.

Witherspoon wasn’t the only defensive back Seattle prioritized, either. The Seahawks signed cornerback Josh Jobe to a three-year, $24 million deal. Jobe ranked as CBS Sports’ No. 52 free agent this offseason, and he had a career year with 54 tackles, 12 passes defensed and one interception.

Christian Gonzalez’s price just went up

Christian Gonzalez

NE • CB

View Profile

Witherspoon’s new contract puts even more pressure on Gonzalez and the Patriots, and this situation probably didn’t need any more pressure. Earlier this week, Gonzalez posted a cryptic Instagram story featuring the song “time reveals, be careful what you wish for” by Gunna.

The song begins with, “Should have been done by now.”

“Should have been done by now
But you didn’t know how to handle the feeling
Should have been done by now
But you better go your way, go your way”

Maybe we are looking too much into that, maybe not.

As we mentioned, Gonzalez has been sidelined in recent days. The Boston Sports Journal reported that he suffered a minor injury at the end of Monday’s practice. Those on the scene reported Gonzalez came down hard after defending a pass to wide receiver Romeo Doubs in the corner of the end zone. The injury initially didn’t appear serious, as Gonzalez remained on the field for the rest of practice, though he was reportedly a bit slow getting up.

About a month ago, Patriots owner Robert Kraft publicly stated that the team had made Gonzalez an offer that would make him the highest-paid player at his position.

“We love Christian Gonzalez. We love him as a player, as a person,” Kraft told reporters on July 25. “That’s why we made an offer to him that makes him the highest-paid player ever to play that position in the NFL, and coincidentally it’s the highest contract in the Patriots franchise history.”

However, becoming the highest-paid player could mean several different things. Is that total contract value? Overall guarantees? Was he offered a record-setting AAV with lackluster guarantees? We don’t know. But one thing is clear: Witherspoon’s deal just raised the price.