Seahawks GM called Ian Rapoport with demand after star gets wigged out over report

John Schneider pulled the curtain back on how NFL insider reporting reverberates throughout both an NFL locker room and front office.The Seahawks’ general manager revealed that a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapaport about the team’s contract extension discussions with star cornerback Devon Witherspoon resulted in the cornerback being spooked and the team having to take steps to defuse the situation.“Spoon got wigged out … because Ian Rapaport reported that we were making him the highest-paid guy and he’s not accepting it, dah, dah dah,” Scneider said on “Hard Knocks” during a meeting with head coach Mike Macdonald and another individual.“I called Ian and was like, ‘Hey, man, you need to call the agent and tell him that’s not f–king coming from us.’ (Seattle vice president of player affairs Maurice “Mo” Kelly) talked to Spoon, everything’s fine.

He gets it, he’s in a good spot now.”Information leaking to NFL insiders is nothing new, but how the information is presented can have a bearing on how negotiations unfold.Rapaport reported on July 21 how Patriots star cornerback Christian Gonzalez is seeking a contract extension but noted that Witherspoon is also in the market for new money.He said the Seahawks offered the defensive back at least $30 million per season in a deal that could make him the league’s highest-paid cornerback, but there “no resolution yet.”That report doesn’t explicitly state that Witherspoon rejected the proposal, but one can imply that the cornerback is the one holding up the deal if the money was in the range Rapaport reported it to be.The idea of Withersoon rejecting the proposal led to the chain reaction of Schneider having to call the NFL insider and then have the staffer talk to Witherspoon.Cleveland’s Denzel Ward is the league’s highest-paid corner at $31.1 million per season.“Outside of the quarterback room we’ve got the hardest position on the field,” Witherspoon said during “Har...