The NFL has a new highest-paid cornerback again — and Devon Witherspoon’s contract situation has been resolved before the regular season.
Witherspoon and the Seahawks agreed to a four-year deal worth $132 million Saturday, with $101 million guaranteed, to supplant Denzel Ward as the league’s new standard for cornerback deals with both his total money and average annual value, according to The Athletic.
As the No. 5 overall pick in the 2023 draft out of Illinois, Witherspoon made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons, and in 2026, he recorded 72 total tackles and an interception on a Seattle team that won the Super Bowl.
His hit on Patriots quarterback Drake Maye prompted Uchenna Nwosu’s pick-six in the Super Bowl, allowing the Seahawks to pull away from New England, and Witherspoon recorded another four passes defended, 17 total tackles and three quarterback hits during Seattle’s postseason run.
Witherspoon’s extension marked the third time that the cornerback market has been reset since March, with the Rams paying Trent McDuffie — who they acquired from the Chiefs in March — a four-year, $124 million deal before the Browns’ Denzel Ward topped that with a two-year, $62.2 million extension.
The next contract up for a cornerback now is the Patriots’ Christian Gonzalez, who might just reset everything again before Week 1 arrives.
But for now, the title belongs to Witherspoon, who continued practicing with the Seahawks throughout training camp, according to ESPN — as opposed to holding out or holding in for a new deal.
“I’m not worried about that right now,” Witherspoon said earlier this week of the looming possibility of an extension, according to the team website. “I’m out here to focus on making plays and trying to get better day by day. We got other stuff we’re focused on. We’re just trying to win games, so that’s the stuff I’m focused on right now.”
The Seahawks also now have the highest-paid cornerback and wide receiver on their roster, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba — who led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards in 2025 — inking a four-year, $168 million extension in March.
