Seattle Seahawks Pick Up Fifth-Year Options On Critical Pieces
The NFL offseason is usually a stressful, anxiety-inducing time for football fans. You spend months watching your favorite team carefully build a championship roster, only to watch free agency and salary cap gymnastics threaten to tear it all apart. But if you bleed neon green and college navy, you can finally exhale. The Seahawks front office just made the easiest, most no-brainer decision of the entire year.
General Manager John Schneider and the rest of the brass have officially exercised the fifth-year contract options for Wide Receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and cornerback Devon Witherspoon.
If you are a fan of the Seahawks, this is the exact news you want to read with your morning coffee. Both of these guys were foundational pieces of the recent Super Bowl LX championship run, and keeping them in the “Emerald City” is the first step toward building a legitimate, long-lasting dynasty.
Why the Seahawks Made the Absolute Right Call
When you draft players in the first round, you are rolling the dice. You hope they pan out, but you never really know until they take the field against grown men in the NFL. When the Seahawks selected Witherspoon fifth overall and Smith-Njigba 20th overall back in the 2023 NFL Draft, expectations were sky-high. Fast forward three years, and both players have somehow managed to exceed every single one of those lofty projections.
Let’s start with Witherspoon. He plays with a reckless abandon and physical edge that perfectly embodies the historic defenses this franchise is known for. He has been named to the Pro Bowl every year he has been in the league.
Opposing quarterbacks have simply stopped throwing the ball in his direction. And let’s not forget his performance in Super Bowl LX. His relentless pressure directly caused the game-sealing pick-six. Locking him down for the 2027 season at a projected $21.2 million is an absolute steal for a corner of his caliber.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Is the Ultimate Offensive Weapon For the Seahawks
On the other side of the ball, we have Smith-Njigba. Or, as defensive coordinators across the league call him: a complete nightmare. JSN just wrapped up a 2025 campaign that sounds like something you would only see in a video game played on rookie mode. We are talking 119 receptions, a league-leading 1,793 receiving yards, and 10 touchdowns. He also took home the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award just for good measure.
JSN has openly stated that he wants to be the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL when the time comes for a long-term extension. He mentioned recently that while he loves the game enough to play for free, he is learning the business side of things. The Seahawks picking up his fifth-year option guarantees him nearly $23.9 million in 2027, but everyone in the building knows a massive, market-resetting extension is looming.
What This Means For the Seahawks’ Salary Cap
By exercising these fifth-year options now, the Seahawks are buying themselves the most valuable commodity in the NFL: time.
Seattle has plenty of salary cap space to work with this offseason, which is a rare luxury for a team coming off a Super Bowl victory. Guaranteeing the 2027 salaries for their two brightest young stars means they can take their time negotiating those massive, long-term extensions without the pressure of an impending free-agency departure. It keeps the core intact, keeps the locker room happy, and keeps the championship window propped wide open.
Looking Ahead: The Seahawks’ Window is Wide Open
There is a distinct energy in Seattle right now. You can feel it in the stands, on the streets, and certainly on the field. The Seahawks have managed to seamlessly transition into a new era of dominance, spearheaded by a brilliant 2023 draft class that has already cemented its legacy in franchise history.
Witherspoon and Smith-Njigba are not just great football players; they are the emotional heartbeat of this roster. They bring a swagger and confidence that is completely infectious. Knowing that both of these superstars are locked into their rookie deals through the 2027 season should terrify the rest of the NFC.
