Seahawks Making 'Extraordinary Effort' to Sign Devon Witherspoon

If the Seahawks are offering as much as Ian Rapoport says, then what's the holdup on Witherspoon's end?

Rumors about Devon Witherspoon’s extension talks with the Seahawks are heating up at the exact time that we’ve expected, three days before the start of Seattle’s training camp on Saturday. ESPN’s Ian Rapoport fueled speculation on Wednesday morning by reporting that the Seahawks have been making an “extraordinary effort” for months to extend Witherspoon, including offers that reset the market at cornerback.

If that’s true then why are we still talking about Witherspoon as a player who Seattle is trying to extend instead of one who has already been extended?

Ian Rapoport@RapSheet

From @gmfb: The #Seahawks are working to make star CB Devon Witherspoon the highest-paid CB in the NFL, and his looming contract has wide-ranging ramifications.

12:33 PM · Jul 22, 2026 · 287K Views

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39 Replies · 117 Reposts · 1.2K Likes

“My understanding is that the Seahawks and Witherspoon have been in intense negotiations over the last several months on a deal that will almost certainly make him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL. Currently it’s $31 million per year in new money. $32 million per year would be the new benchmark for Devon Witherspoon. Would be very surprised if a deal doesn’t end up around there for the Seahawks star. Really just a matter of the two sides agreeing on a number and getting this deal done. The Seahawks have made an extraordinary effort to try to make this happen, we’ll see if Witherspoon ends up accepting and if the two sides end up coming together and solidifying this deal.”

There’s a lot to break down in that statement from Rapoport and my initial reaction is that if the rumors are coming from anyone, it’s coming from the Seahawks’ side, because they want to tell the fans:

“Hey fans, just so you know, we’ve tried really hard and it’s not our fault.”

Here’s what stands out to me from the reports and what I would expect to happen this week.

What’s wrong with $32 million?

If the Seahawks are offering Witherspoon the most money ever given to a cornerback before, and have been trying to do that for months, then why is Rapoport still reporting rumors instead of breaking news?

Is Rapoport reporting the wrong numbers?

The media only knows how to talk about AAV (average annual value or more accurately it should be called average annual cap hit) and that makes it sound like Witherspoon is “obviously” rejecting “the best offer ever made to a cornerback”. However, the truth is not that simple. Here’s what Rapoport isn’t reporting when he reports that Seattle has offered $32 million AAV:

• What’s the 2-year cash flow?

• How much guaranteed?

• How much fully-guaranteed?

• How much is tied up in injury guarantees?

• Is the AAV inflated by a final year number that Witherspoon will never reach?

Because although Trent McDuffie did set the market at $31 million AAV, he doesn’t make the most money in the first two years. Witherspoon’s agent could be more fixated on adjusting those numbers than simply trying to get a headline about his clients (he also represents Christian Gonzalez) setting a new benchmark at cornerback.

Let’s break down the numbers even further to explore Witherspoon’s potential demands and what’s holding things up.