Seahawks’ $31 Million Star Hit with Major Punishment Just Before Bucs Game
Posted October 5, 2025
The NFL revealed punishment for multiple Seattle Seahawks players on the eve of the team’s Week 5 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Running back Ken Walker and cornerback Devon Witherspoon both received fines for taunting against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4.
The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta reported that both players received $11,593 fines. Neither player received further discipline but will be on the hook for sending the league a check. While the two stars’ wallets are a little lighter, the good news is that suspensions were not levied.
It is a rough stretch for Witherspoon who is also recovering from a knee injury. The good news is Witherspoon is on a four-year, $31.8 million contract, so the fine will not hurt the defender too bad.
“Walker was penalized for his taunting, Witherspoon was not,” Condotta noted in an October 4, 2025, message on X. “Arizona had no fines.”
Here’s what you need to know as the Seahawks host the Buccaneers.
The Seahawks Are 3.5-Point Favorites vs. Buccaneers in NFL Odds
Seattle finds itself as a slight home favorite against Tampa Bay. The Seahawks are 3.5-point favorites versus the Buccaneers, per FanDuel.
Both teams enter the contest at 3-1, and the Buccaneers are coming off their first loss of the season. Tampa Bay’s comeback attempt versus Philadelphia failed as the Bucs lost 31-25 to the Eagles in Week 4.
The Seahawks Will Be Without Several Key Players vs. Bucs, Including Devon Witherspoon & DeMarcus Lawrence
Ahead of the contest, the Seahawks elevated safety Jerrick Reed II and defensive tackle Brandon Pili from the team’s practice squad. Seattle is hoping to benefit from an extended rest period following the team’s Thursday Night Football matchup against Arizona.
The Seahawks will be without several key players against the Buccaneers including Witherspoon, safety Julian Love, pass rusher DeMarcus Lawrence and tackle Josh Jones.
Second-Round Pick Nick Emmanwori Is Expected to Play After Missing 3 Games
Second-round pick Nick Emmanwori is expected to suit up against the Bucs. The safety has missed the last three games with an ankle injury.
“I’m super excited, man,” Emmanwori noted on October 3, via Seahawks.com. “I got hurt like five plays into my debut, so I’m ready to get back out there.
“I’ve been doing a lot of grinding for rehab and PT and stuff, so I’m just excited to show face. …I think I deserve to get a restart, so this is officially my second debut.”
Seahawks QB Sam Darnold Has Shined During Seattle’s Winning Streak
Quarterback Sam Darnold has recovered nicely since struggling during the team’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the season opener. Darnold has been a major factor as the Seahawks won the last three straight games.
I think it’s his decisiveness on how he’s playing,” Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said of Darnold, per Seahawks.com.
“He’s staying true to his reads and he’s rocking it when it’s there and when it’s not, he’s progressing and then checking it down or using his legs, and that’s what we’re asking him to do. And I think he’s doing it obviously at a really high level right now.”
Jalen Hurts poses dual-threat problem for Broncos defense
Saquon Barkley is a problem enough for the Denver Broncos defense.
But when you throw in Jalen Hurts as a dual-threat quarterback, that makes the Philadelphia Eagles offense that much tougher to defend. Hurts is capable of beating defenses with his arm or his legs. Yes, the Eagles are experiencing some drama with their receivers at the moment, and A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith have been underutilized in a bizarre way. But it’s all just a matter of one game.
All that matters is that Philadelphia wins games. The Eagles are now 20-1 in their last 21 games and 18-0 in their last 18 games started and finished by Hurts.
Now the Broncos will need to find a way to contain Hurts and that dual-threat ability today.
“How we rush this guy is obviously key,” Broncos defense coordinator Vance Joseph said to the media this week. “If everyone’s covered and you have irresponsible rush lanes, (Hurts) will take off and gain the first down, and you’ll never see third-and-long or second-and-long ever. If you don’t contain the quarterback, I think he’s an accurate passer, but when he pulls the ball down, if everyone’s back is turned, he can make a big play on it.
“How we rush him is important. How we stop Saquon is important. They have a lot of weapons that we have to account for, but the quarterback is obviously the main guy. That’s where it starts.”
One of the best ways for the Broncos to slow down Hurts and the Eagles’ offense is to control the ball and time of possession. That starts with a consistent and effective running game.
If J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey get going, that spells success for Denver. It starts by achieving success in the running game early.
“I think that’s just a constant in football,” Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said to the media this week. “When you’re able to run the ball efficiently, it helps everything. I know when you’re calling plays and the run game’s effective, it feels a lot easier than when it’s not. I think both of our runners are averaging over five (yards) a carry, and it’s something that we have confidence in and we’ll lean on going forward for sure.”
Lombardi added that splitting series is how the Broncos envisioned using Dobbins and Harvey based on their differing skill sets as runners.
“They’re really good runners, they’re both effective as pass catchers, both effective as blockers,“ Lombardi said. ”I think getting RJ, making sure that we’re confident that he has the protections down, not physically, but just mentally. He came along quickly with that. I think it’s something we feel good about going forward.”
How successful Denver is in running the ball today will go a long way in helping the defense at least slow down Hurts and the high-flying capability of the Eagles offense.
But as Hurts and Philly have shown, they don’t need much to be dangerous.
