A few careless words from John Schneider have come back to haunt the Seahawks in the loudest possible way.
The Seattle general manager was at the team’s Super Bowl parade after the win over the New England Patriots when Kenneth Walker was standing behind him. Addressing fans, Schneider joked, “To Ken Walker being the MVP, let’s go! He tried negotiating with me five minutes ago; it was weird.”
At the time, the line landed awkwardly. Now it looks even worse.
According to The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar, Seattle reportedly never made Walker an offer, which means the running back never really had a chance to return to the Pacific Northwest. Schneider later apologized, saying it was a bad joke and that he was having “a panic moment.”
The bigger issue for Seattle is that the joke became a symbol of a decision that has hurt the roster. Walker left in free agency and has turned into a star for the Kansas City Chiefs. The Seahawks needed him through the first part of this season, but instead they let him walk without even entering the conversation.
That matters because Seattle has been short on answers in the backfield. Zach Charbonnet was out for months after hurting his knee in the playoffs, and the team’s rushing game has never really recovered. With the offense lacking a steady ground threat, quarterback Sam Darnold has been asked to shoulder too much over the last month, and it hasn’t worked.
Schneider has earned plenty of respect around the league. He is the only general manager in NFL history to win two Super Bowls with completely different rosters and coaching staffs. But this one has the feel of a misread, because Seattle’s refusal to even make a contract offer to Walker left the team exposed.
The Seahawks are 3-3, and the lack of a reliable running game has been a major reason why. Seattle even used a first-round pick on Jadarian Price in the 2026 NFL Draft, but he has been on injured reserve with a chest injury. Counting on a rookie to take over after the team had leaned on Walker and Charbonnet as a two-man solution for the last three years was a risky bet that hasn’t paid off.
Walker, meanwhile, has been everything Kansas City could have wanted and more. He has played in five games for the 5-0 Chiefs, leads the NFL with 665 rushing yards, and is averaging 6.3 yards per carry.
If Seattle had kept him, the Seahawks might be sitting at 4-2 or 5-1. Instead, they are trying to keep their playoff hopes afloat while Walker stars for unbeaten Kansas City.
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Seahawks Suddenly Have A Zach Charbonnet Problem Before Chiefs Game
The Seahawks are heading into their Week 7 matchup with the Chiefs without Zach Charbonnet, who has already been activated off the physically unable to perform list but remains in rehab and not ready to suit up. Seattle also ruled out linebackers Drake Thomas and Chazz Surratt, along with defensive back Nick Emmanwori, leaving the roster thinner than the team would like as it prepares for one of its tougher tests of the early season.
Charbonnets situation is the one that stands out most because Seattle went through the trouble of making roster moves to keep him eligible later in the year. For now, though, the team has to proceed without the running back it had hoped might be closer to a return, and the injury list adds another wrinkle as the Seahawks try to navigate a game where depth could matter just as much as the headline names on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Need These Surprise Contributors To Challenge The Unbeaten Chiefs
A Sunday night test against the unbeaten Chiefs gives the Seahawks a chance to measure how much depth and versatility they really have. With Kansas City coming in without a loss, Seattle will need more than its stars to make this one competitive, and a few unexpected names could shape how the game unfolds. Cooper Kupp, Ty Okada and Trevon Diggs are among the players who may wind up carrying more weight than usual in a matchup that demands sharp execution in every phase.
Seattle also has a familiar source of motivation in former player Kenneth Walker III, whose presence adds another layer to a game already loaded with stakes. The Seahawks know they are facing a team that has set the standard for the league, and this is the kind of night where role players can swing the balance if they rise to the moment. Whether those surprise contributors can actually tilt things in Seattles favor will be one of the more interesting subplots when the Chiefs arrive. [Read more 🡒]
Why Seahawks Let Kenneth Walker Walk Looks Even Tougher Now
When the Seahawks decided not to bring back Kenneth Walker III, the explanation centered on availability and durability. Seattle moved on instead of extending a back whose bursts and explosiveness had long made him one of the more dangerous players in the offense, and Walker eventually landed a three-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Now the decision looks a lot harder to defend. Walker is leading the NFL in rushing yards and touchdowns in 2026, a reminder of the kind of playmaker Seattle let leave, while the Seahawks are still sorting out their own backfield with Zach Charbonnet just coming off the physically unable to perform list. For a team that wanted more certainty, the contrast has only gotten sharper. [Read more 🡒]