The Seattle Seahawks managed to lock up All-Pro cornerback and Super Bowl champion Devon Witherspoon with a four-year contract that pays him $33 million annually, all while pouring some gasoline on the New England Patriots' fire.
The Patriots are in negotiations with fellow elite 2023 first-round cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who happens to have the same agent as Witherspoon. The Patriots, per Adam Schefter on Pat McAfee's show, are unwilling to give Gonzalez a contract that mirrors what Witherspoon got from the Seahawks.
Gonzalez has been on the record calling these negotiations "frustrating" and is already pivoting towards a Week 1 rematch against Seattle. There's nothing quite like some discord among a contending rival to turn the tables in your favor, and Gonzalez being a less-than-happy camper is exactly what Seahawks fans want to see from their season-opening foe.
Seattle Seahawks' Devon Witherspoon contract causing issues for Christian Gonzalez
Gonzalez and Witherspoon are both two of the best cornerbacks in the league, though they fill different roles. Witherspoon moves all around the Seattle defense and is used as an X-factor in Mike Macdonald's complex scheme, while Gonzalez is an old-school lockdown corner on the outside with great athletic ability and ball skills.
Only five cornerbacks in the NFL make more than $30 million on average per season, and Witherspoon's $33 million is quite a chunk more than second-place Denzel Ward's $31.1 million per year. Gonzalez, perhaps on principle, wants to be the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL, and the Patriots seem unwilling to give in to peer pressure.
There's a non-zero chance the worst-case scenario happens, and Gonzalez ends up forcing a contract-related trade, all due to Witherspoon's price causing internal strife.
The Patriots won't win or lose any more games because Gonzalez is a bit ticked off, and it seems all but assured that a deal will eventually get done, but this is an unnecessary distraction, and Seattle locking up Witherspoon before Gonzalez prevented them from possibly ending up in the same spot New England is now.
Seattle has been very proactive in locking up the core of this Super Bowl winner. Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba, veteran defensive tackle Leonard Williams, and pass rusher Derick Hall have all been extended alongside Witherspoon. With Sam Darnold on a fairly economical contract, even a team that lost Kenneth Walker III and Boye Mafe profiles as one of the best in the league.
After an offseason full of injuries and Terrion Arnold-related drama, the last thing Seattle needed was a Witherspoon negotiation fight.
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