Illinois product Devon Witherspoon is on the verge of a massive payday in Seattle, with a reported extension that could make him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL.
NFL Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Seahawks deal could reach $32 million per year. If it lands at that number, Witherspoon would sit alone at the top of the cornerback market.
For Illinois fans, the rise of “Spoon” has been no surprise. The fifth overall pick in the 2023 draft has delivered on every bit of that billing, turning into one of the league’s premier defensive backs almost immediately.
His resume already includes three straight Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl ring from this past year. In Super Bowl LX, he made his presence felt with a sack and the hit that helped set up Uchenna Nwosu’s game-sealing pick-six.
Before all of that, though, there was Champaign. Witherspoon was an unranked recruit from Pensacola, and Illinois was the only major program to offer him out of high school. He stuck with the Illini even after Lovie Smith, the coach who recruited him, was replaced by Bret Bielema.
That decision paid off in a big way. Witherspoon became the centerpiece of Illinois’ 2022 team, the program’s best in more than a decade. That senior season also came with a loaded supporting cast, including Johnny Newton and Sydney Brown, on a team that finished with the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense.
For Illinois, Witherspoon’s path from overlooked recruit to NFL star has already become part of the program’s identity. For Seattle, it looks like the next step is paying him like one of the very best in the business.
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