Kenneth Walker III is headed back to Seattle with plenty to show and even more to prove.
Since landing with the Chiefs this offseason, Walker has been sensational. He still leads the NFL in rushing yards even after Kansas City’s bye week, and he’s done it while playing one fewer game than the next five players behind him. For a move that drew plenty of skepticism when it happened, Walker has turned it into an early triumph for general manager Brett Veach.
The contract debate followed him the moment he arrived in Kansas City. Plenty of people questioned whether a running back with injury concerns was worth a major payday, but through the first stretch of the season, Walker has made that concern look way overblown. He’s performing like one of the best backs this franchise has ever had, and he’s putting himself in the mix for AFC Offensive Player of the Year.
This week brings a personal angle, too. The Chiefs travel to Seattle for Sunday Night Football, and Walker will face the organization where he spent his first four seasons. He was a central figure in the Seahawks’ 2026 Super Bowl run and earned MVP honors in the game after rushing for 135 yards.
The separation wasn’t messy. Walker left on good terms after winning his first Super Bowl ring, and that title helped lock in his place in Seahawks history. Even so, the contract situation that pushed him out still gives this reunion some edge.
Andy Reid was asked whether Walker might approach this game differently because it’s against his old team, and the Chiefs coach pushed back on that idea. Reid said it would be business as usual for his star back. Still, it’s hard not to look at this matchup and think Walker will have a little extra juice against the team that drafted him.
Seattle wanted to keep him, but the sides couldn’t bridge the gap on money. Walker eventually signed a three-year, $43.05 million deal with Kansas City, while the Seahawks went in another direction and used the draft to take Jadarian Price in the first round. That move hasn’t worked out well so far for the defending champions.
Seattle’s ground game has struggled without Walker. The Seahawks rank 21st in the NFL in yards per carry and 30th in EPA per play.
Price got off to a slow start, and an early injury to Zach Charbonnet forced Seattle to lean on Emanuel Wilson. Charbonnet is expected to return from a lingering knee injury for his season debut this week, but even that comes with its own wrinkle.
During Walker’s time in Seattle, there was always that running joke: when he’d get rolling on a drive, the rhythm would get broken when the coaches sent Charbonnet in at the goal line. Walker never seemed to get the full runway he deserved there. Hours after he announced he was leaving for Kansas City, the Seahawks also chose to pay return specialist Rashid Shaheed more money annually instead.
Kansas City, meanwhile, has handed Walker the kind of workload Seattle never really did. He’s on pace for more than 400 touches, and for comparison, he never topped 255 touches from scrimmage in Seattle.
At this point, repeating how well Walker has played almost feels inevitable. But Sunday gives him the perfect stage to say it again, this time against the team that decided he wasn’t worth the deal he wanted.
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Seahawks May Be Learning A Painful Truth About Sam Darnold
Sam Darnolds first season in Seattle has been a reminder that a quarterbacks environment can change everything. After looking far more comfortable earlier in the year, his play has slid into troubling territory, with his numbers now sitting near the bottom among qualified quarterbacks and raising fresh questions about what the Seahawks have in him moving forward.
Jason La Canfora has pointed to the kind of roster churn that can quietly reshape an offense, noting the departures of offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and running back Kenneth Walker III as possible reasons for the regression. Walker, meanwhile, is thriving with the Kansas City Chiefs, who remain undefeated, which only adds to the sting for Seattle as it tries to figure out what went wrong and whether Darnold can still steady the offense. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Run Game Issue May Be Easier To Fix Than Fans Think
The Seahawks run game has been one of the quieter concerns of the season, and the numbers help explain why. Seattle sits 18th in yards per carry and 30th in EPA per rush, a rough combination for an offense that has wanted more balance. Analyst Daniel Jeremiah pointed to the injury-depleted backfield as a major reason, noting that rookie Jadarian Price is on injured reserve and the current primary backs have not provided the same burst in explosive runs.
There may be a relatively straightforward path to improvement, though, if the roster can get healthier. The possible returns of Zach Charbonnet and Price would give Seattle more options and, in theory, more juice in a ground game that has lacked it for much of the season. For a team trying to stabilize its offense, the fix might not require a scheme overhaul so much as a healthier rotation in the backfield. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Trade Idea Hinges On Whether Eagles Would Move A Star Back
Seattles running game has not looked like the same engine it was a year ago, and the absence of Kenneth Walker has become part of that conversation. CBS Sports Carter Bahns pointed to that decision as one reason the Seahawks have had more trouble getting consistent production on the ground, then floated a bigger-name fix: Saquon Barkley. It is the kind of idea that immediately grabs attention because Barkley would give the offense a proven lead back and a very different level of stability.
There is a catch, of course, and it is a significant one. Barkley is under contract through 2028, and Philadelphia has not signaled any desire to move him, but the Eagles quarterback situation could change the conversation if Jalen Hurts injuries push them toward a broader roster rethink. For Seattle, the appeal is obvious: a shot at solving a glaring need with a star who could reshape the backfield, even if the path to getting him looks complicated from the start. [Read more 🡒]