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The Seattle Seahawks have had an outstanding offseason, but one puzzle piece remains and that is locking up superstar cornerback Devon Witherspoon to a new multi-year extension. On Monday morning, SI's Albert Breer wrote about how Witherspoon's impending deal with the Seahawks will likely reset the cornerback market, especially since Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzales' deal will shortly follow due to the pair sharing the same agent. Now, we may have a better idea of what that might look like.
NFL Insider Ian Rapoport was discussing Gonzales' contract situation on NFL Network, and of course mentioned Devon Witherspoon's as well. From Rapoport's perspective, Witherspoon's contract negotiations with Seattle appear to be further along than Gonzales. Rapoport is also reporting he has heard the Seahawks have offered Witherspoon a contract "upwards" of $30 million dollars (per year) which would make him one of, if not the, highest paid at his position.
As it stands right now, the highest paid cornerback in the NFL is former-Chiefs-turned-Rams star Trent McDuffie, who is being paid $31 million per year. So that is the current high water mark. Of course, while anything above that number will set the new standard, I'm guessing Witherspoon and his team are shooting for something noticeably higher to truly reset the market.
The fact we have received two bits of news in the last two days regarding Witherspoon's contract tells me both sides are closing in on a deal. I know general manager John Schneider would love to get his star defensive back squared away before training camp begins to put a nice big bow on all offseason priorities. The last thing Seattle needs is a prolonged contract dispute lasting through training camp and beyond.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: REPORT: Seahawks offer Devon Witherspoon contract upwards of $30 mil
