The Seattle Seahawks have already made one costly lesson clear to the New England Patriots: pay the cornerback now, or pay even more later.
Devon Witherspoon is no longer in line for a deal. He’s got it.
Seattle handed him a four-year, $132 million extension that makes him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history and keeps him with the team through the 2031 season. More than $101 million of that money is guaranteed.
That move lands with extra sting for New England because the Patriots are still trying to work through their own situation with Christian Gonzalez. Witherspoon and Gonzalez are both represented by the same agency, which had plenty of people expecting one contract to follow the other quickly. That hasn’t happened.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Gonzalez wants more than just a market-setting deal. He also wants to make sure he stays near the top of the cornerback pay scale for the next couple of years, which means he’s aiming for a contract big enough that it won’t be outdated almost immediately.
Whether he’s worth that kind of money isn’t the point here. Gonzalez isn’t PFF’s highest-ranked cornerback from the 2025 season - that’s Witherspoon - and he’s not a Super Bowl champion either - that’s also Devon. But he is a talented player and one of the league’s rising stars.
Seattle, meanwhile, got this done before the situation had a chance to drag on. Witherspoon kept his approach simple during negotiations, stayed upbeat, and showed up for work at training camp. The Seahawks rewarded that attitude with a massive deal.
He also could have played it another way. With another year left on his contract and a fifth-year option available, Witherspoon had the same basic leverage Gonzalez has now.
He could have waited, bet on himself, and chased an even larger payday. Instead, he took the offer already on the table.
That choice matters because the Patriots and Seahawks are set to meet again on September 9, when Seattle opens its title defense against the same New England team it beat in Super Bowl LX. Mike Vrabel’s group already had revenge on its mind. Witherspoon’s extension only adds to the pressure around Gonzalez and the questions hanging over New England before Week 1.
The Seahawks handled their side cleanly. The Patriots still have work to do.
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