The Seattle Seahawks have yet to give Devon Witherspoon an extension. That's not much of a concern, though, as he's said and done all the right things to earn the honor of being the league's highest-paid cornerback.
Pro Football Focus (subscription required) certainly thinks he was the best in the league last season. His 89.9 grade was the highest among 114 eligible players, and he ranked second in run defense (86.7), coverage (84.6), and third in pass-rush grade (91.8).
However, despite his excellent tape and solid numbers, Witherspoon still didn't make the league's Top-100 list, barely missing the cut at No. 107. That feels intentional and disrespectful until you realize that there's literally nothing scientific or even accurate about the voting system.
Seattle Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon should've been a top-100 guy
Two years ago, GQ Sports interviewed NFL Films producers Erin O’Toole and Kaley Campen to understand the voting process. Turns out the league doesn't consider stats or numbers at all; they just have a weighted ballot system, and not even all players vote.
“We actually physically walk around the entire locker room,” Campen explains. “We hit every position group, and it's a mix. Some guys are heavier on their teammates, some guys might be heavier on their position, and some guys are really fair across the league, every position.”
Voting actually happens during the previous season at one point between Thanksgiving and New Year's. Some players receive a ballot in their locker room and are asked to rank their top 20 players in the league. A first-place vote is worth 20 points, a second-place vote is worth 19, and so forth. That's it. That's the process:
“We hand them the ballot, we hand them the Sharpie, they get to do it themselves and hand it right back to us,” Campen says. “A lot of these guys have seen our faces year after year. They'll see us and right away be like, ‘It's top 100 time of year again.’”
That tracks. Players definitely don't take this as seriously, and while Witherspoon definitely is, by every objective and subjective measure, one of the 100 best players in the league, he simply might not be as popular as some of his peers.
“Sometimes a guy from the AFC West doesn't really have any thoughts on Jalen Hurts,” Campen remarks. “But someone from the NFC East sure does!”
Seahawks fans had every right to feel livid about this snub, but it's actually pretty meaningless. It has zero prestige or importance; it's just a way to keep the fans engaged and generate some content during the offseason. Can't blame'em, but there's no point in sweating this one out.
Either way, that's not what drives guys like Witherspoon. Of course, praise and recognition are always great, but winning football games is much better, and he's done plenty of winning since that voting took place.
Witherspoon and fellow CB Christian Gonzalez seem to be playing chicken with their new deal, but the fact of the matter is that they're both expected to reset the cornerback market at some point in the near future.
He's also a Super Bowl champion before his rookie deal even ran out. He's been a Pro-Bowler in every season and just made the second-team All-Pro, so he may not have that many complaints about this snub.
At the end of the day, Witherspoon is aiming for bigger prizes, and even though he'll most definitely make the cut in 2027, he'll probably be prouder of his Super Bowl ring and the generational wealth he'll hoard.
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