Seahawks and Devon Witherspoon contract talks just got a lot tougher thanks to ESPN and the NFL’s latest collaboration

The Seahawks are trying to lock down one of the NFL’s best corners in Devon Witherspoon and contract talks are going to get tougher after his ranking on ESPN’s top cornerbacks list.

Evan Winter — NFL Managing Editor

Jul 7, 2026 2:00 PM EDT

The Seattle Seahawks locked up star wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba a couple of months ago, but it’s a different story with star cornerback Devon Witherspoon’s contract.

ESPN’s Brady Henderson reported a couple of weeks ago that negotiations weren’t going so great, which leaves many to wonder if Witherspoon holds-in (or maybe even holds out) during training camp.

It’s a reasonable thought to ponder, as many believe Witherspoon will become the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback when the extension is in fact hammered out. And honestly, setting that high a bar is probably why things aren’t going as smoothly as everyone would like.

Well, ESPN is currently putting out its yearly rankings for each position and Tuesday’s cornerback hierarchy will surely add another layer to the contract talks.

Seahawks now have another reason to give Devon Witherspoon a historical contract

A quick reminder: ESPN surveys dozens of NFL executives, scouts, and coaches and gets them to vote for the top players at each position. The votes are then tallied, assorted, and mixed in with stats, film review, etc. to determine who gets ranked where.

This year, Witherspoon came in at No. 4. Now, one would logically think “well, the fourth-ranked corner shouldn’t get No. 1 money” and that’s fair.

However, the key here is Witherspoon is ranked ahead of Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie, who is clearly fifth on the list.

So, why is that significant? It’s the fact McDuffie is currently the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL. McDuffie’s APY of $31 million easily tops Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley’s $30 million APY, as well as his $50 million guaranteed at signing plus the $100 million in total guaranteed money.

That’s quite the blueprint to top, even for a shrewd GM like John Schneider. Combine that with the fact the Seahawks are trying to sell the team and it makes sense why the money hasn’t been there regarding Devon Witherspoon’s new contract. Or at least, why it’s in question.

It’s also important to consider because agents use stuff like this all the time to sway negotiations in their client’s favor. From PFF grades, to volume stats, to this, anything and everything substantial is considered useful when seeking a new deal.

Frankly, I wouldn’t expect a deal to get done before training camp. I’d be a bit surprised if Witherspoon holds-in, as well, due to the fact he not only showed up for OTAs and mandatory minicamp, he participated, as well.

It’d be a lot different if he didn’t partake, like Vita Vea withholding himself from Bucs practice. That’s not the case, though, and it’d certainly be a turn of events if Witherspoon partook in earlier practices, but decided to forgo training camp. Even if training camp practices obviously pose a far greater risk of injury.

Regardless, the Seahawks are going to have to eventually pay Witherspoon. It’s just a matter of how much, at this point. How they get there is easily one of the biggest talking points heading into training camp and it’ll only get louder if Witherspoon continues to play at a high level before getting paid.