Devon Witherspoon's first three seasons in the NFL have gone just about as well as the Seahawks could have hoped for. He has allowed just 148 catches and 1,380 yards over 1,606 coverage snaps. That's just 0.86 yards allowed per coverage rep. He capped that with a fantastic Super Bowl performance to boot.
Witherspoon finished 2025 first among all qualifying cornerbacks in coverage grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) (84.6) and tied for fifth in run stops (20) despite missing five games. 'Spoon is a thoroughly unique player.
Despite his smaller stature, he plays the run as if he were built like Nick Emmanwori. He is a physical coverage player with a high IQ who can play match-up with the best receivers in man or erase entire swaths of the field in zone coverage.
One Seattle Seahawks player is about to break the bank
His plethora of traits match up well with an unlikely corner who dominated the NFL for many years: Jalen Ramsey. At 5'11.5 and 181 pounds, Witherspoon doesn't match Ramsey's 6'1", 209-pound body type. But his physical style of play and inside-outside versatility make the comparison a valid one. Especially when you consider their production profiles are quite similar.
Player | Coverage Snaps | Snaps/Target | INT | PBU | Catches Allowed | Yards Allowed | yds/cov snap | Forced Incompletion Rate | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Devon Witherspoon (2025) | 447 | 7.6 | 1 | 4 | 46 | 409 | 0.91 | 8.47% | 99.8 |
Jalen Ramsey (2019) | 484 | 7.6 | 1 | 5 | 41 | 528 | 1.09 | 9.38% | 96.4 |
Witherspoon is extension eligible for the first time this offseason. And the Seahawks should consider extending him now. The cornerback market has been in the midst of a boon over the past two seasons.
Patrick Surtain II, Jaycee Horn, Jalen Ramsey, Derek Stingley Jr., and Sauce Gardner all signed contracts with APY's of $24 million or more. DaRon Bland recently received $22.5 million per year, and a slew of third contract cornerbacks secured $15 million or more this past offseason.
Witherspoon has been one of the best corners in the NFL, and if Seattle waits to lock him up long term it could cost them millions in the long run.
Back to the Jalen Ramsey comp
Following that 2019 season, Ramsey signed a contract extension with the Rams for five-years and $100 million. His $20 million APY was 10.1% of the $198.2 million salary cap that year. If Witherspoon's camp is able to successfully argue that Ramsey is his best comp, pulling that 10.1% forward to 2026 and a projected salary cap of $305 million would put his APY at $30.8 million.
That would make him the highest-paid corner in the NFL, edging out Gardner by $700k per year. Now, NFL teams like nice round numbers; a four-year, $123 million contract would capture that at $30.75 million per year. This would represent the top end of Witherspoon's market.
The low end would be L'Jarius Snead's 2024 contract. Snead's three-year production leading up to his deal is similar to Witherspoon's production to this point in his career.
Player | Coverage Snaps | Snaps/Target | INT | PBU | Catches Allowed | Yards Allowed | yds/cov snap | Forced Incompletion Rate | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Devon Witherspoon (2023 - 2025) | 1,606 | 7.4 | 2 | 21 | 148 | 1,380 | 0.86 | 11.57% | 95.7 |
L'Jarius Snead (2021 - 2023) | 1,809 | 6.6 | 7 | 20 | 182 | 1,772 | 0.98 | 11.59% | 84.0 |
His APY that year was 7.5% of the salary cap that year. A cap-adjusted version of his deal for Witherspoon would be a four-year, $91 million deal with a $22.75 million APY. That APY is only a hair higher than the $21,414,000 price attached to Witherspoon's fifth-year option since he has already made multiple Pro Bowls.
Snead was also two years older, had a weaker draft pedigree, and some injury concerns. Those all put negative pressure on his APY. Allowing for each being in Witherspoon's favor should bump his APY by about $4.5 million, putting his valuation window between $27.25 and $30.75 million per year.
This provides a tighter band for where Witherspoon's value should land. I don't think he quite gets to the Ramsey peak, but anywhere within this range would have him in the top three of all salaries at his position. That is, until Christian Gonzalez signs his deal.
Total contract
Witherspoon still has two years left on his rookie contract, including his fifth-year option. A four-year extension at close to the midpoint of the above range ($28.5 million per year) would be an effective contract of six years and $140,508,702 with an effective APY of $23,418,117. And with even cash flows, this would be a reasonable deal despite the headline-grabbing APY totals.
The full guarantees should come in around $55 million with the total guarantees at around $83.5 million. From the Seahawks' perspective, it would lock in Witherspoon for the entirety of his prime while also getting his guarantees out of the way just one year past what his rookie deal covered.