Seahawks first-spherical CB Devon Witherspoon reportedly maintaining out, is finest NFL rookie with out a contract

With out a contract, Seattle Seahawks rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon is no longer taking portion in coaching camp, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reviews.

The Seahawks selected Witherspoon with the No. 5 pick in April’s draft out of Illinois. He turned into expected to compete for a starting job. However for now, he’s the NFL’s finest rookie holdout with Seahawks coaching camp starting Wednesday. The leisure of the 259 players drafted this one year admire signed their contracts, per the teach.

Holdouts by first-one year players are uncommon in the generation of the NFL rookie wage scale that slots contract values in step with draft replacement. As the No. 5 pick, Witherspoon is due a four-one year contract valued at $31.8 million in assured money. That is collectively bargained and non-negotiable. Or no longer it is far no longer clear why the 2 facets haven’t but agreed to phrases.

Cramped print of the contract are negotiable, and diverse of these particulars is maintaining this deal up. A favorite area of negotiation in rookie deals is the distribution of signing bonuses. As an instance, Houston Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud signed his contract earlier this week after the Texans agreed to pay the $23.38 million bonus on his $36.3 million fully assured contract up front.

Witherspoon’s signing bonus is slotted at $20.171 million. Again, right here is non-negotiable. However when it be paid is up for dialogue. The Seattle Instances reviews that the Seahawks on the total prefer to opened up signing bonus payments over the lifetime of a contract. If that’s the case and Witherspoon needs his bonus up front, then that would possibly per chance per chance well designate the holdout.

Witherspoon did take part in offseason drills, at the side of OTAs, where players with out contracts are lined for destroy. However for now, he’s a no-display at camp as he seeks to maximize his deal.