After Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s record-breaking extension, eyes turn to Devon Witherspoon. An NFL insider reveals why the star cornerback’s looming blockbuster deal remains unexpectedly stalled despite a clear path.
The Seattle Seahawks entered this offseason with two of their star players earmarked for massive contract extensions.
And maybe it's the ease with which the first one was done that has some folks concerned about the second one.
That first deal came together quickly, as in March, Seattle locked up NFL Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon-Smith Njigba with a four-year, $168.6 million contract extension.
The deal, which runs through 2031, makes the very deserving Smith-Njigba the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history.
But what about his NFL Draft classmate, the young All-Pro cornerback Devon Witherspoon? Where's his blockbuster deal?
The fact that the Seahawks and Witherspoon haven’t come together for an extension yet is surprising to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero.
“I thought that that deal was going to get done a while ago because the cornerback market is pretty well established,'' NFL Network's tom Pelissero recently told Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.
“And then after JSN’s deal got done where they exercised the (fifth-year rookie contract) option just like they did with Spoon, they did a deal built around the new money on top that put JSN at the top of the wide receiver market.
“It shouldn’t be that complicated to get something done with a corner, too, but obviously you gotta have an agent who is willing to stay engaged and a player who’s willing to take the deal. I would still think that something gets done on that front ...''
Pelissero seems to be absolutely and obviously right about the inevitability of an extension; the Seahawks have been very upfront about that.
It would also seem to be of help that Witherspoon is represented by Win Sports Group, the same agency that represents Smith-Njigba - albeit with different agents.
“So it’s different agents, but it’s the same agency. This shouldn’t be a difficult deal to get done, but every negotiation is different,” Pelissero said.
The Seahawks hold the cards here, given that they exercised his fifth-year option in March. That means he is under contract through the 2027 season.
But we're not changing our prediction that a deal is right around the corner. And we don't believe the Seahawks have changed their commitment to the player.
Still ...
“I am a little bit surprised that we’re sitting here in the first week of May and nothing is done with Spoon, but there are literally millions and millions of reasons for them to take a deal at some point here in the coming months,” Pelissero said. “All logic would point toward this deal gets done, and I wouldn’t make too much of the fact that it’s not done yet.”