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The Seattle Seahawks are struggling to reach an agreement with their top overall selection from the 2023 draft. Devon Witherspoon has yet to ink his rookie deal, and while this typically isn’t too worrisome, things are starting to heat up a bit. Following the announcement just yesterday that the team signed second round running back Zach Charbonnet, the expectation was that their only remaining unsigned rookie would be soon to follow. Apparently, this is not exactly the case, according to Brady Henderson.
This has indeed been the holdup with Devon Witherspoon's rookie deal, as @BrockHuard said on @SeattleSports. Again, no dispute over the size of the bonus; it's about how much is paid now vs. later. The Seahawks, like many teams, defer chunks of bigger bonuses into the future. https://t.co/rFKMMpYarF
— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) July 26, 2023
As you can see in the above tweet, the sticking point appears to be the disbursement of the signing bonus, particularly as it relates to cash-flow now and into the future. According to reports, Spoon may elect to hold out of training camp if the situation persists.
With the Seahawks practicing for the first time this afternoon, @BrockHuard says we may be in for a surprise: will #5 pick Devon Witherspoon be there? Brock has heard rumblings that he won't sign his contract and won't attend.
— Mike Salk, Seattle Sports (@TheMikeSalk) July 26, 2023
Here's why: pic.twitter.com/WpZC9fsFcc
The Pittsburgh Steelers announced the signing of Joey Porter, Jr., yesterday, meaning that Witherspoon is the only unsigned rookie remaining from the 2023 draft class. While I don’t find this overly concerning, I also don’t find it to be ideal. It is always strange to see this level of discord on a first deal since the implementation of the rookie wage scale, but clearly not unheard of. Devon Witherspoon will enter this season with high expectations, so hopefully this is just a minor speed bump and nothing more. As my fellow Field Gulls writer Ted Zahn aptly put it, let’s hope that this is the only commonality between Witherspoon and the last corner that the team drafted in the first round... Kelly Jennings.
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