The Seahawks are headed toward a stretch where the checkbook may matter as much as the playbook.
With the Khosla family set to take over before this season, Seattle could soon be juggling a wave of major extensions. Devon Witherspoon is expected to be next, and the cornerback could land among the NFL’s two highest-paid players at his position before the season starts, ideally before the ownership change. John Schneider may also be lining up a new deal for Leonard Williams, with Sam Darnold’s turn coming next year.
ESPN’s ongoing positional top-10 rankings offer a useful snapshot of where those negotiations might land.
Williams came out as the league’s best defensive tackle in the survey of NFL evaluators, a result that fits the level he has played at over the past two seasons. One NFL coordinator told ESPN, “He was the most important player on that Super Bowl team. He’s the total package.”
There has been no reliable indication that contract talks are active, but the case for getting something done before the season is strong. Williams, 32, is in the final year of a deal that has averaged $21.5 million. His cap hit is nearly $30 million this year, including a salary of $15.8 million, and only Darnold’s $37.9 million cap number is higher on the roster.
The market around him is already moving. Jeffery Simmons just signed with Tennessee for an average of $35.3 million per year, the highest figure in the league.
Simmons sits just behind Williams in the ESPN ranking. Chris Jones, who ranks second at defensive tackle, is at $31.75 million a year and placed fourth in the survey.
A two-year extension at $25 million annually had been floated, but the position rankings suggest Williams may have pushed himself into a pricier range. Seattle could go to $30 million.
Whether it has to is another question. Williams wants to finish his career in Seattle and might accept a little Derick Hall discount to make that happen.
A deal somewhere between $25 million and $30 million, on either a two- or three-year term, feels like the range.
Darnold’s number is easier to sketch out.
He tied for 10th among quarterbacks in the voting by NFL evaluators, alongside Caleb Williams, Jordan Love and Jayden Daniels. Williams received the official 10th spot, while Love, Daniels and Darnold were listed as honorable mention. The league’s 10 highest-paid quarterbacks all make more than $52 million a year, with Love at $55 million, which points toward Darnold’s extension next year landing around that same $55 million mark.
That kind of money would fit the way Seattle appears to view him. Darnold, who just turned 29, is positioned to be the franchise quarterback into the 2030s, and Schneider should have an easy decision when the time comes.
If Darnold gets extended next year, the offense would have seven starters under contract through at least 2028. An extension for AJ Barner, which is expected, would make it eight.
In the best-case scenario, Witherspoon and Williams would both be signed long before 2026, preserving the heart of a defense that could stay together through at least 2028 as well.
The Khoslas are stepping into a prime Super Bowl window, and locking up Spoon, Williams and Darnold would go a long way toward keeping it open.
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