The Seattle Seahawks dominated the New England Patriots from start to finish in Super Bowl LX. The Dark Side defense overwhelmed Drake Maye and their shaky offensive line, and Mike Macdonald's team was always in control.
The reigning Super Bowl champions will kick off their title defense on September 9, facing off against the same Patriots squad they took down earlier in the year. Notably, Mike Vrabel's team might have even more thirst for revenge after Devon Witherspoon's contract extension.
While the Seahawks locked in their superstar cornerback, the Patriots are still at odds with Christian Gonzalez. It seemed that he would put pen to paper shortly after Witherspoon got his deal, but that may not be the case anymore.
The Seattle Seahawks struck gold with Devon Witherspoon's extension
The Seahawks made Witherspoon the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history with a four-year, $132 million extension that will keep him with the organization through the 2031 season. The deal includes over $101 million in guaranteed money.
Witherspoon and Gonzalez are both represented by the same agency. As such, most people assumed one would sign right after the other, using the former's contract as the baseline for theirs. Gonzalez, however, is his own man and has demands of his own.
According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, Gonzalez not only wants to reset the cornerback market but also ensure he stays atop the highest-earners' list for the next couple of years. He's looking at an even bigger payday, so his contract doesn't become obsolete overnight.
Whether he's worth that type of money isn't for us to decide. He may not be PFF's highest-ranked cornerback from the 2025 season (that's Witherspoon) or a Super Bowl champion (that's also Devon), but he's undeniably a great player and a rising star.
The Seahawks did the right thing by nipping this one in the bud. Granted, it took much longer than anticipated, but Witherspoon said and did all the right things, staying positive during negotiations and showing up to work at training camp.
Technically, he could've played the long game, too. Like Gonzalez, he had another year left on his contract, plus a fifth-year option, so he could've bet on himself to secure an even fatter, juicier paycheck. That's not him, though.
Whether it was because of his loyalty and love for the organization or to avoid the risk of injury, Witherspoon took the offer, which was still huge, sitting on his table. They may share representation, but they clearly don't feel the same way about their teams and current situation.
The Patriots and Gonzalez may not see eye to eye before Week 1, and that will remain a headache and talking point until they finally get a deal done. The Seahawks avoided all that hassle and did right by their budding star before the asking price went even higher.
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