The Seattle Seahawks are likely headed to be sold to venture capitalist Vinod Khosla after an agreement was made between Khosla and the Paul Allen Estate for the amount of $9.612 billion. The deal still has to be approved by the other NFL owners, and a date has been set aside for August 26 to have that happen.
That could mean that cornerback Devon Witherspoon will be waiting a bit longer to get an extension on his contract. The versatile defensive back already had his fifth-year option exercised, which means he is under contract with the team through 2027, but both the team and player would want to work out a deal that keeps Witherspoon in Seattle for many more years.
He has seen Seattle already give extensions to wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who was taken in the 2023 first round 15 selections after Witherspoon, and edge rusher Derick Hall. The cornerback would be the next obvious candidate to get paid a lot more money.
Sale of the Seattle Seahawks might push back Devon Witherspoon's extension
Possibly, a deal can still get done with the cornerback while the sale is pending. Having the Witherspoon financials completed before the season, which begins for the Seahawks on Wednesday, September 9, would be ideal. Players and teams don't want to have to barter about cash when the focus should be on winning the next week.
If the official approval of the sale to the Khosla family is finalized on August 26, that leaves about two weeks before the season starts.
Of course, an extension could be done while the Paul Allen Trust still owns the team, with the Khosla family's approval (Vinod will be the majority partner, while his wife, Neeru, will be the controlling owner). Signing Witherspoon to a new deal that could pay him more than $30 million a season isn't going to be accomplished without the new owners giving their OK.
What the Seattle Seahawks don't want to have happen is going into next offseason with Devon Witherspoon still not having an extension. He has proven how valuable he is to head coach Mike Macdonald's defense, and losing him shouldn't be an option.
One possibility is that the Seahawks are officially given approval by the rest of the league owners on August 26, and then within a few days after that, a Witherspoon extension is announced. This would be good public relations for the Khosla family and a good start to what is hopefully many years of success under their control.
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