Report: Sacramento cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon signs with 49ers’ division rival
When the 49ers selected Ahkello Witherspoon in the third round of the 2017 draft, they envisioned him playing a similar role to what the Seahawks asked of their cornerbacks during the “Legion of Boom” days earlier that decade.
Four years later, Witherspoon is headed to Seattle after his tenure with San Francisco didn’t work out.
The Seahawks will sign Witherspoon, an unrestricted free agent, to a one-year contract, according to a report from Josina Anderson.
Witherspoon, 25, attended Christian Brothers High School in Sacramento before attending the University of Colorado. The 49ers were enamored with his physical skills, like his long arms and soccer-player feet, making him the first cornerback general manager John Lynch drafted with San Francisco.
But Witherspoon struggled to carve out a consistent role in San Francisco’s defense and was often benched in favor of less physically gifted players.
Witherspoon was removed at halftime of the team’s divisional round victory over the Minnesota Vikings during the playoffs in January 2019 after allowing a long touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs. Former defensive coordinator Robert Saleh opted for Emmanuel Moseley, a former undrafted free agent, who started the rest of the postseason while Witherspoon was relegated to the bench and a special teams role.
Witherspoon would go on to start four games in 2020 while the team dealt with injuries. He finished his 49ers career with 117 combined tackles, 24 pass breakups and four interceptions. There were times where he flashed Pro Bowl potential, but consistency was an issue and he was too often a weak link of the secondary. Witherspoon was in coverage during 15 touchdown passes over the last three seasons, though he never allowed a completion rate higher than 59% when targeted.
San Francisco didn’t make retaining Witherspoon a priority despite the team’s lack of bodies at the position. Moseley, a restricted free agent, and Jason Verrett were brought back on two-year deals over the last week — and the 49ers will likely continue to add to the position through the draft and free agency.
The hope for Witherspoon: he can go to Seattle and realize the potential the 49ers were initially enamored with. He should have a chance at carving out a significant role after the Seahawks lost starting cornerback Shaquill Griffen to the Jacksonville Jaguars on a three-year, $44.5 million deal earlier Tuesday.
49ers lose draft pick in bizarre Goodwin transaction
Receiver Marquise Goodwin, who was traded by San Francisco during the 2020 NFL draft, reverted back to the 49ers from the Philadelphia Eagles on Tuesday, according to NFL’s transaction wire.
The reasoning? Terms of the trade between the 49ers and Eagles were not met, sending Goodwin back to San Francisco due to language in the original deal. As a result, the 49ers will lose a seventh-round draft choice in April’s draft, leaving them with nine selections total.
Goodwin opted out of last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 49ers are not expected to retain Goodwin and they could part with him without financial repercussions. Goodwin, who participated in the 2012 London Olympics as a long jumper, had said he wanted to participate in the upcoming Tokyo games, though it’s unclear if that remains in his plans. Goodwin remains on the reserve/opt-out list.
This story was originally published March 16, 2021 at 4:25 PM.
