Seattle Seahawks, Devon Witherspoon still haven't agreed on rookie contract
The Seattle Seahawks’ first-round pick has missed the start of training camp.
According to a report from ESPN, Devon Witherspoon, a Pensacola native and a Pine Forest alum, has been “unable to reach an agreement” on his rookie contract. Witherspoon, the fifth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, is the last of all 259 draft picks who remains unsigned.
The current issue, ESPN’s report noted, is based off the payment schedule of his valued $21.17 million signing bonus. Speculation is that Witherspoon wants more of the bonus paid upfront by the Seahawks, as opposed to deferring portions of that bigger bonus to later dates.
Three of the picks ahead of Witherspoon in the draft – all of whom are quarterbacks – reportedly received 100% of their signing bonuses up front, according to ESPN, while the other pick – Will Anderson Jr. – received 85% up front.
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Witherspoon was at spring practices with Seattle despite not signing on the dotted line for his rookie contract, but was limited due to a hamstring injury, head coach Pete Carroll said.
Carroll told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday that he believes Witherspoon's holdout will not last long.
"He knows every he needs to know," Carroll said about Witherspoon. "I can't imagine he won't be here very soon."
Witherspoon, 22, who played at Illinois, was a consensus All-American his senior year, and was first-team All-Big Ten as well. In four years with the Fighting Illini, he played in 41 games, recording 157 total tackles (115 solo, 42 assisted) with five interceptions and one sack.
While at Pine Forest, Witherspoon was named the PNJ’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2018 after he recorded 74 tackles, seven interceptions and two touchdowns his senior year.
Witherspoon was recently back at Pine Forest, helping with fellow Pine Forest alum Martin Emerson Jr.’s first football camp at the Eagles’ field on July 8. Both players were joined by other area players who have since gone on to play college football.
At the camp, Witherspoon told the News Journal that he wanted to set a “new standard” in the area, to “let the kids know that (they’re) not giving up on them.”
“Coming from where we come from, a lot of people didn’t really help us when we were young. Just to be able to have this opportunity to come and coach the kids, because it’s our hometown, it just means everything,” Witherspoon said to the News Journal.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Seattle Seahawks' Devon Witherspoon still without rookie contract
