Eight days after word of an agreement broke via a national report, the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday formally announced a two-year contract extension with cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon.
Acquired via a trade late in training camp, the Steelers were Witherspoon’s third team over an eight-month span. He barely played the first half of the season — and when he did, he was burned for a long touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders — but by the time the playoffs started, Witherspoon was the Steelers’ most trusted cornerback.
“Man, I had my daughter… Oct. 14,” Ahkello Witherspoon said recently. “So, you can imagine how my last few months have been, I have zero complaints." #Steelers #SteelersNation https://t.co/SLWFJr7ARw
— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) January 17, 2022
Witherspoon, who turned 27 this week, reportedly signed for $8 million over the next two seasons. As the Steelers’ roster stands now, Witherspoon, Levi Wallace and Cameron Sutton will serve as the top three cornerbacks. Wallace was signed away from the Buffalo Bills in free agency for the same terms (in regards to total dollar amount).
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Witherspoon spent his first four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers before signing with the Seattle Seahawks last spring. The Steelers swapped a fifth-round pick for him on Sept. 3.
A healthy scratch eight of the first nine games, Witherspoon had three interceptions and nine pass defenses over the final eight games of the regular season.
There is typically a delay between when contract agreements are made and when the Steelers announce the transaction, but the lag with Witherspoon was longer than most.
Veteran Joe Haden — another starter at cornerback for the Steelers this past season — remains unsigned in free agency.
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