The Seattle Seahawks have a chance to avoid a future headache, but it’ll take John Schneider opening up the checkbook a bit early to retain Devon Witherspoon long term.

The Seahawks couldn’t retain everyone this offseason after defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX. They lost Kenneth Walker (Chiefs), Coby Bryant (Bears), Tariq Woolen (Seahawks), and Boye Mafe (Bengals), but they also retained several key pieces. Between Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Charles Cross, and Rasheed Shahid, the Seahawks handed out over $135 million in contract guarantees this offseason.

Witherspoon should very much be next on Seattle’s agenda, if not for a cornerback market that is only going to get more expensive over time.

The Seahawks could come to regret waiting on a Devon Witherspoon extension

A to Z Sports recently revealed a list of 10 players set to secure top-of-market contract extensions as contract values rise across the NFL. Witherspoon landed on that list, for good reason. He’s a rising star at the cornerback spot coming off perhaps his best season. He’s under contract for the next two years thanks to the fifth-year option, but Seattle would be wise to begin negotiations early.

Offensive lineman Anthony Bradford is an honorable mention here, but Witherspoon is the obvious extension candidate for the defending Super Bowl champions. As a former fifth overall pick and with his fifth-year option picked up, the cornerback is already relatively expensive for a rookie — he’s making $21.3 million over the next two years. He’s 25, so now is the ideal moment to get a deal done and take advantage of his final rookie contract seasons to lower the overall impact of an extension. The Seahawks are in a comfortable cap situation, and there aren’t many reasons why they shouldn’t get this one done.

From Witherspoon’s 2023 draft class, Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez also made this list. However, there’s a laundry list of cornerbacks from the 2024 NFL Draft also awaiting contract extensions, such as Eagles CB Quinyon Mitchell, Eagles CB Cooper DeJean, Texans CB Kamari Lassiter, and Lions CB Terrion Arnold. Getting ahead of Gonzalez and the 2024 NFL Draft extensions could save Seattle money in the long run. That’ll especially be the case if the deal follows the standard of new money not kicking in until after his fifth-year option in 2027.