Kenneth Walker III's Stock Is Soaring - Should the Seahawks Pay the Price?
Kenneth Walker III couldn’t have picked a better time to play the best football of his life. After a jaw-dropping postseason run that culminated in a Super Bowl MVP performance, the Seattle Seahawks running back is heading into free agency with his value at an all-time high - and the front office has a big decision to make.
Let’s break it down.
Walker’s Dominant Stretch Run
Walker’s late-season surge was nothing short of electric. From Week 16 through the Super Bowl, he racked up 771 scrimmage yards, averaged 5.2 yards per carry, and found the end zone five times. That includes a monster 161-yard outing in the Seahawks’ 29-13 Super Bowl win over the Patriots - a performance that earned him the game’s MVP honors and cemented his place in Seahawks lore.
But this wasn’t just a hot streak. According to Pro Football Focus, Walker finished the season as the highest-graded running back in the league.
His 33.6% avoided tackle rate - tops in the NFL per FTN Fantasy - speaks to his ability to make defenders miss and create yards after contact. And perhaps just as important: he stayed healthy, suiting up for all 20 games this season after dealing with injuries earlier in his career.
That durability, paired with his explosive playmaking, puts him in rare company - and makes his contract situation all the more intriguing.
The Market Reality: Running Backs vs. Wide Receivers
Here’s the challenge: running backs just aren’t getting paid like they used to. While top receivers are now clearing $32.5 million per year, the highest-paid running backs are well behind that curve. Saquon Barkley leads the pack at $20.6 million annually, followed by Christian McCaffrey ($19M), Derrick Henry ($15M), Jonathan Taylor ($14M), and Alvin Kamara ($12.25M), per Over the Cap.
That’s the neighborhood Walker could land in - somewhere between $12 million and $14 million per year, according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell.
For Seattle, that number isn’t out of reach. With roughly $63.6 million in cap space (sixth-most in the league), the Seahawks have room to maneuver. And with Zach Charbonnet potentially sidelined for much of the 2026 season due to a torn ACL, Walker’s value to this offense - especially one that leans heavily on the ground game - is even more pronounced.
“You’re probably buying high,” Barnwell said on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy. “But I just think his ability to create explosives, his ability to get more than what’s blocked, I just think it’s really valuable.”
Franchise Tag: A One-Year Safety Net?
If the Seahawks aren’t ready to make a long-term commitment, there’s always the franchise tag. Projected at around $14.5 million for running backs this year, the tag would keep Walker in Seattle for one more season at a top-tier salary - without locking the team into a multi-year deal.
The franchise tag window opens on February 17 and runs through March 3. It’s not a tool Seattle uses often - in fact, they’ve only used it once in the past 15 seasons - but in this case, it might be a smart way to buy more time.
“You could bring in the franchise tag and kind of go year to year with him if you don’t want to make it more of a multi-year commitment,” Barnwell noted.
The Bottom Line
Walker’s postseason run wasn’t just impressive - it was defining. He showed he can be the engine of a championship-caliber offense, and he did it on the biggest stage. That kind of production doesn’t come around often, especially at a position where durability and consistency are so hard to find.
Seattle has the cap space. They have the need. And they have a player who just proved he can carry the load - literally and figuratively - when it matters most.
Now it’s just a matter of whether they’re willing to pay to keep him.