Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen is slated to enter a contract year. A fifth-round selection in 2022, Woolen is in the final season of his rookie contract. Scheduled for an underpaid base salary of $5.3 million in 2025, he’d surely love to sign a lucrative extension this offseason.
Devon Witherspoon’s contract is lurking as well. Seahawks general manager John Schneider will undoubtedly exercise his fifth-year option next offseason, keeping him under control through 2027. Regardless, Witherspoon will hope to negotiate an extension next offseason.
Negotiations will be impacted by the latest record-setting deal. The New York Jets signed All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner to a four-year extension worth $120.4 million on Tuesday. Gardner is now the highest-paid CB in NFL history at an average of $30.1 million per season.
Woolen and Witherspoon aren’t going to match Gardner’s salary, but that deal will have a trickle-down impact on Seattle’s negotiations. The price for cornerbacks will undeniably increase as a result. The longer Seattle waits to sign Woolen especially, the more difficult discussions become.
Witherspoon isn’t due for an extension until next offseason, at the earliest. But Woolen is eligible (and willing) to sign an extension immediately. Gardner’s deal just altered the discussion between Schneider, Witherspoon, and Woolen.