SEATTLE – Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon, the fifth overall pick in this year’s draft, was not on the field for the start of training camp on Wednesday as the two sides have been unable to reach an agreement on his rookie contract.
“He’s not here today,” coach Pete Carroll said afterward. “He knows everything he needs to know. I can’t imagine he won’t be here very soon.”
Witherspoon is the lone 2023 draft pick who remains unsigned, according to Spotrac.com. At issue, a source confirmed to ESPN, is the payment schedule of his slotted $21.17 million signing bonus.
The Seahawks, like some other teams, defer portions of bigger bonuses to later dates for cash-flow purposes. Witherspoon wants more of his bonus up front than what the team has offered. The three quarterbacks taken ahead of Witherspoon in April – Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson – reportedly received 100% of their signing bonuses up front. Outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr., the third overall pick, received an 85%/15% split with his bonus with the Houston Texans.
Because he’s not under contract, Witherspoon is not subject to fines for missing practice during training camp.
Carroll was asked about the unusual reasoning behind Witherspoon’s absence and said, “It’s so clean that it’ll be over … He knows what’s going on right now and we’ll see what happens.”
Seattle’s 710-AM was the first to report that the two sides were at odds over the timing of the bonus payment.
Witherspoon took part in spring practices despite not having signed his rookie deal, though he was limited early on by what Carroll said was a hamstring injury. In addition to working with the No. 1 defense at left cornerback in the spring, Witherspoon got reps at nickelback. Carroll said Wednesday that Witherspoon will continue to compete there with Coby Bryant when he returns.
Draft picks missing practices in training camp has become rare since the implementation of the rookie wage scale in the 2011 CBA, though it’s not unprecedented. Quarterback Zach Wilson, the fifth overall pick in 2021, missed the first two practices of New York Jets camp that year before his rookie deal was signed.
Witherspoon, who played collegiately at Illinois, is the Seahawks’ highest draft pick since Carroll and general manager John Schneider took over in 2010. His four-year rookie deal will be worth just over $31.86 million, which is fully-guaranteed, and will contain a fifth-year team option that is standard for first-round picks.
In other Seahawks news, the team placed cornerback Tariq Woolen, safety Jamal Adams, linebacker Jordyn Brooks, tight end Noah Fant and two other players on the active/physically unable to perform list to begin training camp. Adams (quad tendon) and Brooks (ACL) are both coming off season-ending injuries that kept them from practicing in the spring. Woolen needed arthroscopic knee surgery after he was injured in May, but the expectation all along is that he’d be ready well before the start of the season.
Carroll said Woolen shouldn’t have to remain on PUP for long and that Adam and Brooks are close to being ready to practice as well. Asked if it’s realistic that both could be ready by Week 1, Carroll said “it’s possible” and that he’s not counting on it.
Fant had “a little work done” on his knee, according to Carroll. Also starting camp on PUP are tackles Bryan Mone and Austin Faoliu. Nose tackle Jonah Tavai was placed on the Active/Non-Football Injury list and then waived with a non-football injury designation.
With Witherspoon absent and Woolen on PUP, Seattle on Wednesday signed cornerbacks Andrew Whitaker and Chris Steele, as well as outside linebacker Levi Bell.
Source : ESPN
