There’s a new highest paid cornerback in NFL history as the Seattle Seahawks and Devon Witherspoon have agreed to terms on a new 4 year deal. The extension will be worth $132M and will feature $101M in guaranteed money according to reports.
The $33M average annual value on the deal eclipses Denzel Ward’s 2 year, $62.2M extension ($31.1M AAV) signed earlier this summer to make him the new highest paid CB in the league.
Despite ongoing negotiations for a new deal, Witherspoon had been a full participant in Seattle’s training camp thus far. The former University of Illinois star has been named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first 3 NFL seasons, and was selected as a second team All-Pro in 2025.
Across 43 NFL games, Witherspoon has recorded 2 Interceptions, 32 passes defended, 249 combined tackles and a fumble recovery since joining the league. Originally drafted 5th overall in 2023, the 25 year old was set to make just under $5.1M in 2026. The Seahawks had already exercised Witherspoon’s 5th year option in March of this year, locking him in for roughly $21.2M in 2027.
The 2023 draft proved to be a franchise altering one for Seattle, who took Witherspoon at number 5, and franchise cornerstone Jaxson Smith-Njigba at 20. They also added running back Zach Charbonnet, EDGE Derick Hall, RG Anthony Bradford, EDGE Mike Morris, and C Olu Oluwatimi, each of whom have carved out prominent roles on the team.
With Witherspoon resetting the cornerback market, all eyes will now shift to Patriots DB Christian Gonzalez who is seeking a longterm extension of his own. Selected by New England 17th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, the 6’2″ corner has been attempting to get a new deal with his team done for much of the summer.
With the Witherspoon domino now fallen, it’s likely that Gonzalez’s camp uses his $33M figure as the new benchmark in negotiations with the Patriots.
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