News Article
Published
Oct 23, 2026 at 03:39 PM EDT
The Seattle Seahawks let running back Kenneth Walker III walk in NFL free agency when the Kansas City Chiefs signed the Super Bowl LX MVP to a three-year, $43.05 million contract in March.
Walker is having an MVP-caliber first half of the season as the league's leading rusher and will have a chance at a "revenge game" in Week 7 when the Seahawks host the Chiefs on "Sunday Night Football."
ESPN's Brady Henderson and Nate Taylor revealed that Seattle had "reservations" about bringing Walker back on a new deal, in a report published Friday morning.
"But the team's decision-makers had reservations about his availability dating to his rookie season, according to sources familiar with the team's thinking," the report said. "It also helped explain why the Seahawks had Walker split snaps with (Zach) Charbonnet in 2025, and why -- according to multiple sources familiar with the team's plans -- they were only willing to go as high as roughly $10 million per season to re-sign him in March."
The 2022 second-round pick posted career highs in scrimmage yards (1,309) and yards per carry (4.6) last season and stepped up big time when fellow running back Zach Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL in the NFC divisional round.
...
Walker finished the playoffs with 65 carries for 313 yards and four touchdowns, including 161 yards and one score on the ground during the Seahawks' Super Bowl victory versus the New England Patriots.
He's carried the momentum from the big game into the 2026 campaign as he leads the NFL with 665 rushing yards and yards per carry (6.3), despite Kansas City having already had its bye week. Walker's also recorded six rushing touchdowns and a career-high two on the receiving end.
Seattle's backfield, meanwhile, ranks a mediocre 18th in yards per rushing attempt this season (3.9) and the team leads the NFL in both rushing fumbles (six) and rushing fumbles lost (five).
The Seahawks could be getting a big piece to their rushing attack back in Week 7, however, as Charbonnet was activated off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list on Thursday.