On Saturday, we learned the news that Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon inked a contract extension with the franchise. Seattle signed the 25-year-old to a four-year extension for $132 million, with$101 million guaranteed. For more NFL breakdowns, check out this article by us here.
This extension makes Witherspoon the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL on average annual salary. Placing him $1.9 million above Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward, who just signed his extension on July 29th. Upon this extension being announced, it raises this question: why did the Seahawks extend Witherspoon this early?
Devon Witherspoon's Rookie Season Proved He Was Worth The 5th Overall Pick
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Witherspoon being selected fifth overall in the 2023 NFL draft came with a lot of heavy expectations. Along with being the second first-round pick Seattle acquired as part of the Russell Wilson trade.
This layered another amount of pressure and expectations for the former Illinois defensive back to be everything he was hyped to be and more. Witherspoon came in and delivered a stellar rookie season.
Witherspoon produced 79 total tackles, 8 tackles for loss, one interception, and 16 pass breakups. He ranked top 10 in total tackles, tackles for loss, and pass breakups out of 129 qualifying cornerbacks. His coverage stats came out to be impressive as well, while his catch rate allowed wasn't anything special at 62.8 percent, ranking 60th in the league. Along with a total EPA of -43.23, ranking 60th among qualifying cornerbacks.
Witherspoon finished with 5.6 yards per target allowed, ranking 11th in the NFL during this season. Seattle's first-round pick wasn't just good for a rookie; he was already being recognized as one of the more premier corners in the game.
Witherspoon recorded an 84.1 PFF grade, ranking fourth among all corners in the entire league. His ability to dominate both in the nickel and as a boundary corner right away earned him a Pro Bowl nod and finishing fourth in defensive rookie of the year voting.
Devon Witherspoon's 2024 Season Showed His Continued Growth
In the 2024 season, Witherspoon took another step forward, producing 98 total tackles, 6 tackles for loss, zero interceptions, and 9 pass breakups. He ranked in the top nine for total tackles and tackles for loss out of 125 qualifying defensive backs. His coverage stats also saw a noticeable step forward but also some steps backwards. They were worse than his rookie year, landing at 74.2 percent, ranking 109th in the league.
Witherspoon’s total EPA took a step in the positive direction with -33.57, ranking 42nd. His yards per target allowed declined to 7.5, which ranked 61st in the NFL.
Seahawks 2024 Defense Was Filled With Growing Pains
2024 was Witherspoon’s first year under new head coach Mike Macdonald. There were obvious growing pains not only for him but for the entire defense as a whole. During the first seven weeks of the season, Seattle ranked 18th in EPA per play, 16th in pass EPA per play, and 21st in rush EPA per play.
After trading for linebacker Ernest Jones and everyone else got more comfortable in Macdonald's defensive scheme, the Seahawks defense took off. From week 8 on, Seattle ranked seventh in EPA per play and eighth in yards per play allowed. Witherspoon received his second Pro Bowl nod and earned a PFF grade of 84.5, ranking eighth in the league.
Devon Witherspoon's 2025 Season Made His Extension A No-Brainer
This past season, the versatile do-it-all cornerback had an incredible year. Reaching 72 total tackles, two tackles for loss, one interception, and seven pass breakups.
In addition to coverage stats of a 76 percent catch rate allowed, 6.1 yards per target allowed, and a first-place finish in total EPA with -115.0. Witherspoon had both a career-best in yards per reception allowed and his PFF grade.
When it came to yards per reception, Witherspoon allowed 8.5 yards, ranking sixth in the NFL. He recorded a PFF grade of 89.9, landing him first out of 114 qualified cornerbacks, and was named a second-team All-Pro.
It wasn’t only Witherspoon that had a great year; Seattle’s defense as a whole, now in year two under Macdonald, had a dominant season. He ranked eighth in EPA per pass, first in EPA per rush, and second in overall EPA per play.
End Of My Devon Witherspoon Rant
Teams hope when they select a player in the top five in the draft, they get a player as good as Witherspoon. His ability to play both in the nickel and on the boundary at an elite level gives Seattle a versatile chess piece in their defense.
While the Seahawks defense is loaded from top to bottom, it wouldn’t be the same elite unit without Witherspoon. John Schneider knows this and is taking care of a foundational part of this team before another cornerback resets the market again.
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