The Seattle Seahawks took care of one of their superstars, making Devon Witherspoon the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history following his $132 million extension. Perhaps this distinction will last about five seconds once Christian Gonzalez and the New England Patriots figure something out, but who cares? ’Spoon got paid, and the Seahawks have a true franchise corner for the first time since Richard Sherman.
Of course, you can’t tell the story of Witherspoon’s arrival in Seattle without tying it directly to the Russell Wilson trade. In some respects, while Wilson’s playing days are over, the effects of the trade are still not finished yet. We’re four years removed from the seismic, franchise-altering day when the Seahawks sent Wilson to the Denver Broncos for a treasure trove of draft picks (not to mention current backup quarterback, Drew Lock).
Charles Cross (No. 9 overall, 2022)
The first foundational piece of the Wilson deal—yes, it’s ironic given the struggles on the OL and questionable investments when Russ was QB—Cross agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $104.4 million. He became the first first-round pick by John Schneider to get an extension since Earl Thomas.
Cross has shown himself to be at least an above-average left tackle, with room to grow to become one of the NFL’s best. Add in the extension right tackle Abe Lucas received before last season started, and the Seahawks have good continuity at both tackle spots.
Devon Witherspoon (No. 5, 2023)
The Seahawks taking a cornerback early? They never do that! Well, in Pete Carroll’s final season, that’s what happened. While all outside eyes were on Seattle getting Jalen Carter (perhaps, in part, because none of the quarterback options fell Seattle’s way), the Seahawks were wowed by ‘Spoon and spent a top-five pick on a cornerback for the first time since Shawn Springs.
All ‘Spoon has done is make three Pro Bowls and earn second-team All-Pro honors in Seattle’s Super Bowl season. He may not have the gaudy interception stats but he’s proven to be one of those “force multipliers” who can cover, tackle in run support, and blitz quarterbacks into pure panic and misery.
As already mentioned, there are 132 million reasons to be thankful that the Broncos cratered in 2022 and put Seattle in position to get Witherspoon.
Derick Hall (No. 37 overall, 2023)
The final piece of the Russell Wilson trade as a 2023 second-round pick, Hall just landed a three-year, $42 million extension that is comparatively modest in the current edge rusher market. He played much better than the two regular season sacks showed, and his Super Bowl performance was arguably game MVP worthy. Seattle is banking on Hall turning it up a notch and really upping his sack productivity, especially with DeMarcus Lawrence retiring and Uchenna Nwosu set to hit free agency.
Honorable mention: Boye Mafe (No. 40, 2022)
The Seahawks did not pay Boye Mafe in free agency, although it wasn’t like he was a draft bust. Mafe agreed to a three-year, $60 million contract with the pass rush starved Cincinnati Bengals. While Mafe didn’t have a great contract year, he still racked up nine sacks in 2023 and another six in 2024.
Just within the 2026 calendar year, Messrs Cross, Hall, Witherspoon, and Mafe have combined for $338.4 million in new contracts, whether through a Seahawks contract extension or free agent money.
This is not to even include the knock-on effect of the Seahawks having that draft capital freedom to get Jaxon Smith-Njigba (highest paid receiver in NFL history), Kenneth Walker III (biggest free agent contract in NFL history), and Zach Charbonnet (TBD on his future) with their native picks.
The only player directly drafted by the Seahawks in the Wilson trade not to pan out was Tyreke Smith, a 2022 fifth-round selection who never really managed to get going as an edge rusher. I don’t think anyone is losing sleep because Tyreke Smith didn’t turn into a serviceable NFL rotational man.
It’s easy to say the Seahawks generally stuck to the consensus board and didn’t overthink it at the top of their recent drafts, but front office competence, player development, and a positive team culture all matter. If merely having the draft capital could build a contender then the Cleveland Browns should’ve had more than one playoff win this century.
The Wilson trade might have been both encouraging and wobbly in the early years when the Seahawks were in the same “treading water” position that generally defined much of the back-end of the Wilson era. Not having a definitive franchise quarterback didn’t help matters, either. But the combination of continued smart drafting, sound roster building, a shrewd free agent signing to get that potential franchise quarterback, and a home run hire at head coach has quickly turned the Seahawks into a championship force when it could’ve been just as easy to fall into the abyss.
Seattle cashed out on Russ at the right time, struck gold in the draft, and now their core players from that trade have cashed in.