Witherspoon Hasn’t signed yet.

[Mix]

July 26th 2023

 

[hawkfan68]

Not too concerned yet. But it is strange he's the only unsigned draft pick. I hope the Seahawks didn't draft a "head case". Luckily they have some solid depth at the secondary positions. The longer he sits the more he gives another player a chance to win starting CB spot or playing time. There is deep competition with Jackson, Coby Bryant, Tre Brown, Burns, and the newly signed Whitaker.

 

[warden]

The amount of money he gets is set so that is not the issue

He wants more of the money sooner then later in the contract. The Seahawks rather give it to him later for they are tight against the cap and are most likely trying to sign one more player

 

[Wolfiegrrl]

I feel like Coby Bryant is like "Bro, you do what you need. Stay away until you get what you think is right." hahaha Meanwhile, Bryant is going to solidify his spot on the secondary and the rookie can sit.

 

[warden]

I'm confused, I thought that rookie contracts were cut and dry now. I don't see how it can be about the money?

Pick	Player	Team	2023 Cap Hit	Signing Bonus	Contract Total
1	Bryce Young	Carolina Panthers	$6,900,922	$24,603,688	$37,955,071
2	C.J. Stroud	Houston Texans	$6,596,226	$23,384,904	$36,279,243
3	Will Anderson Jr.	Houston Texans	$6,402,330	$22,609,320	$35,212,815
4	Anthony Richardson	Indianapolis Colts	$6,180,733	$21,722,932	$33,994,032
5	Devon Witherspoon	Seattle Seahawks	$5,792,937	$20,171,748	$31,861,154

The amount of money is not the issue. Neither is the guaranteed portion of money. The issue is when he gets the money. He wants more up front which would create a bigger cap hit this year. The Seahawks tight on cap space want more of the money near the back

 

[Seattle Person]

We don't know the full picture but it's about the bonus money...Here is what we know:

1) The QBs in front of Witherspoon got 100% of their bonus money upfront. They are going to receive a lump sum of the money right away. This precedent was set by Trevor Lawrence when he got drafted. Before -- the payments were in increments.
2) Will Anderson is getting 85% now and 15% later in October. QBs have a much better chance at more money than position players up front. Last season, Derek Stingley got 80% up front.

So before we jump on Witherspoon we need to think about:

*Is his agent trying to re-work a new system here? How much of it is really about agents trying to change the game then the player being greedy.

*Are the Seahawks playing hard-ball because they rarely pick in the top 5. They can be a little hard headed about not setting precedents for future negotiations.

Just some thoughts. Read the article below if you want a more detailed look at it.

Agent's Take: The holdup in signing top 2023 draft picks, and sticking points for Bryce Young, others unsigned

Joel Corry also suggests it might be best for C.J. Stroud to let the No. 1 pick sign first

www.cbssports.com

 

[knownone]

It is strange that a rookie would be holding out for more front-loaded guarantees.

I'd let him sit out as long as he wants. You don't completely restructure your budget philosophy for one person, particularly one that hasn't played a down for the team.

 

[Seattle Person]

It is strange that a rookie would be holding out for more front-loaded guarantees.

I'd let him sit out as long as he wants. You don't completely restructure your budget philosophy for one person, particularly one that hasn't played a down for the team.

I mean you might have to if the industry is changing the benchmarks.

 

[toffee]

Witherspoon is the only unsigned rookie in the league?

 

[JPatera76]

This has got to be agent driven. Because regardless of when he gets the money.. that contract and the money is GUARANTEED. So it’s baffling that a dude who has yet to even shine and “prove” himself IN THE NFL.. at the hugest tier wants “it All now” like… totally has to be agent driven. Agents gets a big slice right?

Idk yeah sure it’s “drama” but it’s important in a sense that this kid could sit out all year and be redrafted lol (highly unlikely) but it also doesn’t scream “team player” in a sense and assumption/speculation he’s following the advice of his agent. He’s surely gotta know or suspect that this doesn’t look good or get him in good with the fans, community, team etc.

Kam and Harvin for example.. high dollar but proven talent and vets.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Unfortunately, there is zero doubt that some on here have already decided he's a diva, team cancer, blah blah blah.

 

[JPatera76]

Unfortunately, there is zero doubt that some on here have already decided he's a diva, team cancer, blah blah blah.

I feel this is more of an agent issue tbh

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Absolutely. This isn't the first time a rookie didn't sign until later. It's a big meh burger.

 

[toffee]

I feel this is more of an agent issue tbh

So I should understand that at the heart of the matter, it is not about the amount guaranteed money, rather when he will get his guaranteed money? If I were his dad, I wouldn't want for him to get all the guaranteed money NOW, I rather that he will get the guaranteed money later, assuming there's no risk of not getting due to injuries or crime committed etc.,

 

[hawks85]

Of course he isn't signed. What a ******* waste of a draft pick, we should have taken Jalen Carter

I know right. I'm thankful we drafted Witherspoon, but c'mon dude, you haven't played a single down in the NFL and you haven't reached an agreement yet? What on god's green earth is the issue?

 

[12AngryHawks]

This has got to be agent driven. Because regardless of when he gets the money.. that contract and the money is GUARANTEED. So it’s baffling that a dude who has yet to even shine and “prove” himself IN THE NFL.. at the hugest tier wants “it All now” like… totally has to be agent driven. Agents gets a big slice right?

Idk yeah sure it’s “drama” but it’s important in a sense that this kid could sit out all year and be redrafted lol (highly unlikely) but it also doesn’t scream “team player” in a sense and assumption/speculation he’s following the advice of his agent. He’s surely gotta know or suspect that this doesn’t look good or get him in good with the fans, community, team etc.

Kam and Harvin for example.. high dollar but proven talent and vets.

I could go on & on about my disdain for agents...

 

[SoulfishHawk]

This ^

Slimeballs

 

[Lagartixa]

The amount of money is not the issue. Neither is the guaranteed portion of money. The issue is when he gets the money. He wants more up front which would create a bigger cap hit this year. The Seahawks tight on cap space want more of the money near the back

Not quite. It's not a cap issue. It's a cash-flow issue.

It's true that the amount of money isn't the issue. His whole contract will be worth $31.86M for four years. And it's also true that the guaranteed portion isn't the issue. The full $31.86M is fully guaranteed at signing.

The accounting of the signing bonus on the salary cap doesn't depend on the actual payment schedule. It's Witherspoon's $21.17M signing bonus that's at issue. No matter what, the cap hit from the signing bonus will be spread out equally over the four years of the contract, so it's $5,292,500 per year in 2023-2026.

The Seahawks and some other teams around the NFL prefer to defer payment of part of large bonuses for cash-flow reasons. Witherspoon wants his whole signing bonus paid up-front. Of the four players drafted before him, three got 100% of their signing bonuses paid up-front. The other player picked before Witherspoon, Will Anderson, got 85% of his signing bonus up-front and the remaining 15% at a later date.

 

[KinesProf]

Witherspoon wants his whole signing bonus paid up-front. Of the four players drafted before him, three got 100% of their signing bonuses paid up-front. The other player picked before Witherspoon, Will Anderson, got 85% of his signing bonus up-front and the remaining 15% at a later date.

Derick Hall got 85% of his signing bonus prior to the start of training camp too.

So if Young - 100%; Stroud - 100%; Richardson - 100%; Anderson - 85%; and Hall - 85%; right or wrong, I can understand the pushback from Witherspoon's representation.

 

[CallMeADawg]

Of course he isn't signed. What a ******* waste of a draft pick, we should have taken Jalen Carter

Skip Bayless, is that you?