How Witherspoon deal impacts Seahawks’ salary cap space

The Seattle Seahawks secured another franchise cornerstone to a long-term deal on Saturday, signing three-time Pro Bowler Devon Witherspoon to a reported four-year, $132 million contract extension that makes him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history.

Report: Seahawks make Devon Witherspoon NFL’s highest-paid CB

With the details of Witherspoon’s deal now available on Over The Cap and Spotrac, here’s a closer look the contract, the year-by-year salary cap hits and how it impacts Seattle’s cap space.

The basics

Witherspoon, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, had two years left on his rookie deal after Seattle exercised the fifth-year option on his contract back in March. That means he’s now under contract with the Seahawks through 2031.

Witherspoon’s contract extension has a new-money average of $33 million per year and includes more than $101 million in total guaranteed money. By new-money average annual value, the previous record for a cornerback belonged to the Cleveland Browns’ Denzel Ward at $31.1 million.

Witherspoon had been set to make approximately $5.1 million in 2026 and $21.2 million on his fifth-year option in 2027. Those numbers have been included and reworked into his new deal.

That means Witherspoon is set to make roughly $158.3 million over the next six seasons – an average of $26.4 million per year.

Year-by-year salary cap hits

Here’s a look at the approximate year-by-year salary cap hits for the Seahawks, according to Over The Cap.

Keep in mind, the salary cap is projected to continue increasing each year. That’s why teams often backload their cap hits. Also, there are mechanisms for teams to push cap hits into the future, which the Seahawks could do if they end up signing Witherspoon to another extension down the road.

• 2026 – $15.4 million
• 2027 – $14.3 million
• 2028 – $27.15 million
• 2029 – $27.95 million
• 2030 – $36.25 million
• 2031 – $39.4 million
• 2032 – $8.5 million (void year)

Salary cap space

After Witherspoon’s deal, the Seahawks now have approximately $11.2 million in salary cap space for 2026, which ranks 23rd-most in the NFL, according to Over The Cap.

Some of that cap space could go toward an extension for three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Leonard Williams, who is now eligible for a new deal as he enters the final season of his current contract.

Also, Seahawks general manager John Schneider has said he likes to keep cap space available during the season for trades and other potential moves. Seattle has made a big trade deadline acquisition each of the past three years, adding Williams in 2023, linebacker Ernest Jones IV in 2024 and wide receiver/return specialist Rashid Shaheed in 2025.

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• Seahawks’ DeMarcus Lawrence says 2026 will be his final season

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