The Seattle Seahawks and Devon Witherspoon are hopefully trying to work out a contract extension before the 2026 season begins. One potential issue was that Witherspoon, the versatile and elite Seattle cornerback, has the same agency as the New England Patriots' Christian Gonzalez. Ultimately, that might not be the problem. The Cleveland Browns might be.
Gonzalez is probably waiting for Witherspoon to sign an extension before he does. That's because of the nature of the organizations. Seattle general manager John Schneider has lately shown he isn't afraid to spend money on players who will help the team win games. The Pats do things differently.
After the Browns signed cornerback Denzel Ward on Tuesday to a two-year extension that pays him as much as $62.2 million over the next two seasons, according to NFL insider Adam Schefter, Witherspoon's asking price might have suddenly jumped up.
Devon Witherspoon should smile after the Browns extend Denzel Ward while the Seattle Seahawks are miffed
Ward and Witherspoon are two different cornerbacks, and both are very good at what they do. Ward is a five-time Pro Bowler. Witherspoon is a three-time Pro Bowler, but only because he has been in the league three seasons. Both deserve to get paid, but the issue is the historic amount each will get paid.
Before Ward agreed to his extension, the Los Angeles Rams' Trent McDuffie was the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL at $31 million annually. Ward's deal pays him a tick better. Witherspoon's new extension, whenever it is signed, will probably pay him a bit better too, but maybe higher than Seattle initially was hoping.
Devon Witherspoon is not simply an outside corner as Gonzalez and Ward are. The Seahawks cornerback is far better in run support and being used on rare blitzes than the Browns and Patriots cornerbacks are. Seattle's defense is augmented by the versatility of Witherspoon, and that ultimately makes him more valuable in the Pacific Northwest.
He knows that, and so do his agents. The Seattle Seahawks know it too. Plus, while Denzel Ward is 29 years old and might diminish by the time his deal is done, Witherspoon is just 25 years old and has many more years left to play after Ward is playing golf more than observing what is happening in the NFL.
Should the Browns have paid Ward so much? Of course, not. That is also an organization that seems bent on shooting itself in the foot. The Seahawks don't do that, but that won't stop Witherspoon and his people from asking for more than Ward just got.
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