The Seattle Seahawks’ 2023 draft class is already making an argument for one of the finest in club history.
Now, both of the esteemed class’ first-round picks are locked up for the long run after earning Super Bowl rings.
Cornerback Devon Witherspoon, the 2023 No. 5 overall pick and a three-time Pro Bowler, has agreed to terms with the Seahawks on a four-year, $132 million extension, making him the highest-paid CB in the league with a $33 million annual average salary, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Saturday.
Schefter added that Witherspoon's deal includes more than $101 million guaranteed.
The team later announced it had agreed to a new deal with Witherspoon.
Witherspoon’s extension follows one handed out to Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who received a four-year, $168.6 million extension in March.
Like JSN, Witherspoon has vaulted to the top of the pay scale for his position group, joining the Los Angeles Rams' Trent McDuffie, the Indianapolis Colts' Sauce Gardner, the Houston Texans' Derek Stingley Jr. and the Cleveland Browns' Denzel Ward as cornerbacks making $30 million or more annually.
Consequently, Witherspoon's new deal should have a domino effect on the Seahawks' Super Bowl opponent, the New England Patriots. Fellow 2023 first-rounder Christian Gonzalez is also seeking an extension from the Pats.
Witherspoon’s new pact took a bit longer to work out than Smith-Njigba's, but Seattle has clearly identified around whom it’s building.
Witherspoon joins the Houston Texans’ Will Anderson Jr. as the only top-five selections in the 2023 class to have worked out extensions. They were the outliers in a quarterback frenzy that highlighted the draft’s top quintet that year. The Carolina Panthers' Bryce Young, Houston's C.J. Stroud and the Indianapolis Colts’ Anthony Richardson were taken No. 1, 2 and 4, respectively.
The instant impact and production of Witherspoon, 25, has been astounding.
The Illinois product plays ball like a missile launched at the opposition, and with that quickness he hit the league, earning three straight Pro Bowl selections to begin his career.
He was limited to 12 games in 2025, but was still vital in Seattle’s ascent to Super Bowl champions, earning second-team All-Pro recognition with 72 tackles, seven passes defensed and an interception.
In the Seahawks’ 29-13 Super Bowl win over the Patriots, Witherspoon tallied four tackles, a pass breakup, three QB hits and a sack. That kind of versatility is evidence as to why he’s become a centerpiece of the world champions’ defense now and for the foreseeable future.