Will Seahawks re-sign Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III?

SEATTLE — While addressing the gang at Lumen Field in the beginning of the Seahawks’ championship parade earlier this month, basic supervisor John Schneider talked about just one participant by title. Raising a pink Solo cup in his proper hand, he toasted to working again Kenneth Walker III‘s 161-yard efficiency in Super Bowl LX, then joined followers in chants of “MVP.”

What Seattle’s high decision-maker mentioned proper earlier than that in regards to the free-agent-to-be was purely in jest.

“He tried negotiating with me five minutes ago,” Schneider joked. “It was really weird.”

If solely a brand new deal might have been hammered out over a couple of minutes of alcohol-fueled contract talks. Actual, clear-headed dialogue started this week with the Seahawks and Walker’s representatives at Aura Sports assembly on the mix, and it’s removed from sure that they will ultimately result in an settlement.

With ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting final week that Walker is not expected to receive the franchise or transition tag from the Seahawks, there’s an actual chance that he indicators elsewhere when free company begins subsequent week. If so, he’d turn out to be solely the fourth all-time participant to win Super Bowl MVP and start the next season on one other workforce.

While talking with reporters in Indianapolis on Tuesday, Schneider conveyed a way that the Seahawks are ready for that end result until the 2 sides can work out a deal on the workforce’s phrases.

“We’d love to have Ken back, and he knows this better than anybody — it’s about our 70s and our collective and what that’s going to look like,” Schneider mentioned. “We’ll have those meetings down here. We’ll start talking to all the agents and we’ll have a better feel of where we’re going towards the end of the week.”

Schneider declined to touch upon a possible tag for Walker, however the report that he will not use it was one other indication that he’ll take a disciplined method to negotiations — even with the specter of Zach Charbonnet lacking a lot of subsequent season as the opposite half of Seattle’s backfield tandem recovers from a torn ACL.

While sharing snaps with Charbonnet in 2025, Walker totaled 1,309 scrimmage yards and averaged 4.6 yards per carry throughout the common season, each profession highs. It was arguably his finest season since he entered the NFL as a second-round choose in 2022 regardless of the actual fact he scored a career-low 5 touchdowns whereas giving up carries to Charbonnet on the aim line.

As important as something was the truth that Walker stayed wholesome after lacking a mixed 10 video games over his first three seasons. Durability issues have been one of many main causes Seattle didn’t attempt to prolong it final offseason, and so they have been raised anew when he missed chunks of the spring and summer time with foot and ankle accidents.

Then Walker performed in all 20 video games, didn’t miss a single apply as soon as the season started and was a full participant in all however 5. He appeared on the damage report in solely three out of 21 weeks the workforce launched one.

With Walker not lacking any time and Seattle working the ball on the NFL’s highest charge, he scratched out 1,027 dashing yards throughout the common season regardless of his timeshare with Charbonnet. The Seahawks’ run recreation as a complete didn’t start to flourish till mid-December — curiously, after the workforce moved from working backs coach Kennedy Polamalu in what was introduced as a depart of absence.

“I think Justin Outten did a great job with that room when he took over,” Schneider advised Seattle Sports 710-AM final week. “I felt like Ken was just a little bit more decisive. It was so sad with Zach. When Zach got hurt, Ken really took that as a badge, like, ‘I’m going to kick butt for my buddy.’ Those guys are so close. He did it. “He did a terrific job…Ken went on a terrific run.”

Whereas running backs often fade down the stretch due to the physical demands of the position, Walker got better.

He confirmed his home-run means when he broke free for a 55-yard landing within the Seahawks’ Week 16 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. With the NFC West and convention’s high seed on the road towards the San Francisco 49ers two weeks later, he delivered one of many seasons’ most memorable performs — an unlikely conversion on third-and-17 to increase a field-goal drive within the third quarter of Seattle’s 13-3 win.

Over the primary 15 weeks, Walker ranked twenty third amongst working backs at 4.4 yards per carry. Over the final three games of the regular seasona stretch during which he rushed for 248 yards, he was fifth at 5.9 YPC.

Walker continued his tear within the playoffs. In the divisional spherical towards San Francisco, the sport during which Charbonnet injured his knee, he totaled 145 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns on 22 touches. He scored once more within the NFC Championship Game towards the Rams, totaling 111 yards on 23 touches.

Then got here Walker’s efficiency within the Super Bowl, which included 135 yards on 27 carries — the second-most of his profession. A holding penalty worn out a 49-yard landing run that may have made him a unanimous selection for MVP.

At his information convention the following morning, Walker mirrored on the adjustments he revamped the offseason to take higher care of his physique. They included extra sleep — eight or 9 hours per night time in comparison with 4 or 5 beforehand. “It was really important,“he mentioned. “At the time I didn’t sleep much. I was eating wrong. So really just changing my routine, really being more disciplined in everything I do has made a big difference.”

But because the Seahawks determine on how a lot cash they’re keen to ensure Walker in a contract provide, they’ll undoubtedly weigh the sturdiness points he had over his first three seasons together with how he stayed wholesome all through a contract yr. And although they may not have Charbonnet till effectively previous the beginning of subsequent season, they could be reluctant to pay top-end starter cash to somebody they’d seemingly favor to maintain in a time-sharing position.

One contract analyst from a distinguished company estimated that Walker will command a three-year deal price round $10 million in annual common. Only 9 working backs presently make that a lot per yr. Dallas not too long ago re-signed Javonte Williams for $24 million over three years, whereas the New York Jets have indicated they’re prone to preserve Breece Hall on a franchise or transition tag, with OverTheCap.com projecting these to value round $14.5 million and $11.7 million, respectively.

The finest hope for the Seahawks getting a deal performed with Walker is {that a} purchaser’s marketplace for working backs retains his value in Seattle’s most popular territory. Otherwise, he’ll seemingly go the best way of former Super Bowl MVPs resembling Tampa Bay Buccaneers security Dexter Jackson (XXXVII), Green Bay Packers broad receiver/kick returner Desmond Howard (XXXI) and Dallas Cowboys cornerback Larry Brown (XXX), who’re the one gamers to alter groups after successful the award.

“We won a Super Bowl with him,” coach Mike Macdonald mentioned Wednesday in Indianapolis. “I don’t know what his stats are, but I know he affected every game in a pretty significant manner, so I thought he had a heck of a season, and I think it can get even better. He’s so talented. It’s like, let’s keep pushing the envelope, man. Let’s take it to the next level.”

ESPN’s Ben Baby and Jordan Raanan contributed to this story.