Ahkello Witherspoon's NFL career is over at 31.
The Washington Commanders placed the cornerback on the reserve/retired list on Tuesday, ending a nine-year professional career that began when the San Francisco 49ers selected him in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Witherspoon played his college football at Sacramento City College in 2013 before transferring to Colorado, where he played from 2014 to 2016 and earned All-Pac-12 honors once. San Francisco took him in the third round, and over four seasons with the 49ers he appeared in 47 games, starting 33 of them. He recorded 117 tackles, 24 passes defensed, four interceptions, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery during his time there, according to Yahoo Sports.
After leaving San Francisco following the 2020 season, Witherspoon moved through several organizations. He spent time with the Seattle Seahawks, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Los Angeles Rams before signing with Washington this offseason. His time in Pittsburgh was arguably his most prominent stretch outside of San Francisco, where he developed into a reliable starter under then-head coach Mike Tomlin.
His final season was derailed by injury. Playing for the Rams in 2025, Witherspoon broke his scapula in Week 2. He returned for the postseason, only to re-break the same bone during Los Angeles's wild-card victory over the Carolina Panthers. The severity of that injury appears to have played a role in his decision to step away from the game.
He had signed with Washington this offseason hoping to continue his career, but training camp will go on without him.
