Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III is just three weeks faraway from being named Super Bowl LX MVP, but he won’t get to experience the glory for an excessive amount of longer as he’s set to hit free agency upon the expiration of his rookie contract in Seattle. In response to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, Walker is reportedly generating a lot outside interest that he could possibly be pricing himself right out of Seattle.
Now, reasonably, one might query whether the Seahawks would allow their leading rusher in each of the past 4 seasons to walk in free agency, but there’s plenty to point to so as to explain the way it is perhaps the most effective situation for everybody. To start out, Walker’s health has been a difficulty previously. He missed two games in each of his first two years in Seattle and missed six games over the course of the 2024 season. While he bucked that trend in Yr 4 by appearing in every game for the primary time in his profession, the Seahawks have been burned previously by ceaselessly injured running backs like Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny, and so they may even see Walker’s injury history as too dangerous to take a position in long-term.
Secondly, a yr after Seattle drafted Walker within the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, the team went back to the identical well, choosing second-round UCLA rusher Zach Charbonnet. Walker’s frequent injuries gave Charbonnet eight spot starts in his first two seasons of play, and he showed loads of promise as a possible lead back within the opportunities he was given. Though Walker played in (and commenced) every game this season, Charbonnet continued to see increasing opportunities, posting career-highs in carries (184) and rushing yards (780) while leading the team with 12 rushing touchdowns. While Walker would definitely be missed, the Seahawks could also be able to pass the rock to Charbonnet.
The third factor would simply be price. Graziano believes that the Cowboys set the ground for the starting running back market once they prolonged Javonte Williams on a three-year, $24MM deal. He lists Walker as one in every of three backs who could surpass that annual average value of $8MM, citing increasing external interest because the driving factor. While the Seahawks’ salary cap puts them in a very good position to spend in 2026, the franchise hasn’t invested long-term in a running back for the reason that days of Marshawn Lynch.
all of the aspects together, it’s not looking good for fans that need to see the Seahawks run in back with their Super Bowl MVP. Retaining Walker would require Seattle to commit long-term money, and the mixture of Walker’s injury history and Charbonnet’s capability make that option seem lower than prudent. As a substitute, it seems that Walker could earn an enormous payday to try to take one other team to the Super Bowl, while the Seahawks will get a very good have a look at Charbonnet as RB1 as Charbonnet puts forth his best foot in a contract yr for him.