The San Francisco 49ers cornerback position is among the most volatile areas of the roster this offseason. On Monday, the team took another positive step in shoring up the position by retaining Jason Verrett on a one-year deal, just days after re-signing Emmanuel Moseley for two more seasons.
However, with fellow starter and impending free agent Richard Sherman likely on his way out of town, the 49ers lost another experienced cornerback on Tuesday — this one to Sherman’s former club.
According to NFL insider Josina Anderson, Ahkello Witherspoon has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the division rival Seattle Seahawks. Now the fifth-year cornerback will see San Francisco at least twice in 2021.
I'm told CB Ahkello Witherspoon is going to "Seattle" per source.
— IG: JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 16, 2021
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Witherspoon’s Turbulent 49ers Tenure Comes to an End
San Francisco originally drafted Witherspoon in the third round (No. 66 overall) in 2017 out of the University of Colorado. Since then, the soon-to-be 26-year-old has had an up and down tenure in the Bay Area. On the field, Witherspoon has posted 117 total tackles, 24 pass breakups and four interceptions in 47 games (33 starts) over his first four seasons. He played in only 11 games last year due to a lingering hamstring injury early in the season, but did play well down the stretch of the Niners’ last-place campaign.
Witherspoon was a totally different player mentally those last few games and definitely shined for the #49ers.
He likely wasn’t going to be handed the starting role in SF, which probably tipped the scales in favor of Seattle.
— Akash Anavarathan (@akashanav) March 16, 2021
Off the field, Witherspoon was a “constant source of frustration for coach Kyle Shanahan,” according to NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco. That included a Monday night incident against the New York Giants in November 2018 in which he reprimanded a teammate following an Odell Beckham touchdown. After the game, Shanahan was clearly irked.
“No, I am not [happy],” he told reporters, via SF Gate. “No. Man up. Don’t put that on tape. We’ll deal with it when we come in.”
After losing top cover man Shaquill Griffin to the Jacksonville Jaguars on a three-year, $44.5 million deal on Tuesday, Witherspoon will step in as a reinforcement alongside Tre Flowers and others in the Seahawks’ revamped secondary.
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Chris Licata is an NFL contributor covering the San Francisco 49ers. Follow him on Twitter @Chris__Licata or join the Heavy on 49ers Facebook community for the latest out of the Bay Area!
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