During the debut episode of HBO’s Hard Knocks with the Seattle Seahawks, there was a significant update regarding the extension of cornerback Devon Witherspoon. While the start of training camp indicated that the two parties were close to an extension, perhaps there was more than meets the eye with Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald’s comments.
Witherspoon made his first public comments about the negotiations in the episode. As of Tuesday, there remains no update regarding the situation.
Witherspoon said, “Outside of the quarterback room we’ve got the hardest position on the field. It’s hard to guard these guys, especially when you can’t touch them past 5 yards. I mean like these guys are real talented, man. It’s just a hard job to play. So when you’ve got a guy that can really do like shut down a receiver or just like be versatile like I am, you don’t come across those guys often, for real. So when you’ve got a premier corner like that it’s just, you pay him. Like, please pay him. That’s all we saying.”
The two parties continue to work on the extension as training camp continues. It’s clear now that Hard Knocks will document that as one of its main storylines this month.
HBO’s Hard Knocks Gives Significant Update on the Extension of Seahawks and Witherspoon
Witherspoon remains one of the most valuable players on the Seattle Seahawks since he was drafted in 2023.
Another key note from the episode involves Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider reacting to information sent from insider Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
In his initial report, Rapoport said he “wouldn’t be surprised if Witherspoon gets done first and then Gonzalez gets done shortly after with the market set.”
A scene shows Schneider explaining to staffers including MacDonald that Witherspoon’s group reacted poorly to that information. The report implies that the Seattle Seahawks are trying to make Witherspoon the highest paid cornerback in the NFL. However, it also asserts that he is not accepting their offer.
Further, Schneider explained that he called Rapoport to fix the issues in his reporting. Schneider wanted to confirm that the Seahawks did not give that information. Also, vice president of player affairs Maurice Kelly spoke to Witherspoon to clear the air. Fortunately, Schneider also said that the two parties resolved any anxiety.
Despite Headwinds, Both Parties Seem Motivated to Get a Deal Done
Witherspoon seems focus on the upcoming season more than getting his extension from the Seattle Seahawks with training camp underway.
After that sequence, there was an interview with Schneider where he discussed the negotiation process.
He said, “We’ve had negotiations over the last 17 years that haven’t been real fun, but every individual’s different. It’s the person, right? Spoon’s like this great high energy, vibrant guy. We all have the same goal in mind and we’d love to get that done, because Spoon’s a great player.”
When Witherspoon made his first comments, he also added some positivity about the situation.
He said, “It’s not really something that’s on my mind right now. My mind is to go win football games, bro. We trying to be the best team that we can be for this year. And stuff like that just get in the way of doing that.”
It seems clear that this is a more of a when than if situation, but Hard Knocks displays the drama behind the scenes that fans do not see. It will be interesting to follow how the show continues to present this negotiation.
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