Yeah its purely speculation because he was a mad Hawthorn supporter.
Everytime GWS signs someone new his name is mentioned as being in negotiations. Even Corr from the same draft got a two year contract extension. Just smells fishy to me, especially when his cousin is playing for Hawthorn.
It's not a case of "even" Corr - Corr is the
only player from the same draft, i.e. the one three months ago, to sign an extension. O'Rourke, Plowman, Jaksch and Stewart are also yet to sign extensions, but all five of them (including Whitfield) still have 19 more months on their contracts.
I'd be surprised if the Giants aren't involved in extension negotiations with Whitfield and probably the others, given they've proven to be very proactive at getting them signed, but I think you're reading way too much into not re-signing someone in the first 15% of their first contract. I suspect Corr probably just signed on for the extra couple of years relatively cheaply, so the deal was done quickly.