Being the reigning Super Bowl MVP, Kenneth Walker III couldn’t have had any better timing in becoming an unrestricted free agent. And the Seattle Seahawks were kind enough not to place their franchise tag on him ahead of the March deadline. That has essentially allowed the 25-year-old to finally go out and earn himself a top-tier contract.
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According to CBS Sports’ lead NFL insider, Jonathan Jones, there is no shortage of potential suitors for Walker. Of course, some franchises figure to be a more likely landing spot than others.
Jones named three possible landing spots for Walker, taking into account the current state of the running back market and the roster and salary cap dynamics of the teams. “Javonte Williams heads into the combine and gets that $8 million per year from the Dallas Cowboys, and that kind of served as a marker for this market,” Jones began.
“Does a team want Kenneth Walker III at $14-ish million, or do they want an [Travis] Etienne at $10 million? It’s going to be how you value that player against what the price is ultimately going to be,” he added.
Recently, there were rumors that the Denver Broncos were attempting to trade for the New York Jets RB Breece Hall. Jones suggested that since they need a running back, the AFC runner-ups could be considered as a potential team.
In light of the seemingly-inevitable departure of Etienne, Jones also guessed that the Jacksonville Jaguars could also be considered as a potential candidate for Walker. Much to the delight of the fantasy football community, the third team on Jones’ list proved to be the Kansas City Chiefs, who have been desperately in need of a capable ball carrier ever since the decline of Isiah Pacheco.
From a pure production standpoint, it’s hard to dislike the idea of pairing any running back, let alone one of Walker’s caliber, with a quarterback who’s as transcendent as Patrick Mahomes. Throw in the fact that the Chiefs also have nearly $25 million in cap space to play with, as well as their failed attempt at trading for Hall at the 2025 trade deadline. All these certainly make it seem more plausible than not that Kansas City could be in the market for Walker.
There were also rumors tying Walker’s future to the New York Giants. However, Jones feels that’s highly unlikely given the current lay of the land.
“I know a lot of people have been talking about the Giants,” Jones noted. “I would be surprised if the Giants got in on Kenneth Walker III at that top-tier price.”
Jones closed by noting that fans shouldn’t completely rule out the possibility of Walker returning to Seattle. But given his expected cost, most are assuming that the Seahawks have essentially been priced out.
There’s a lot of cash that needs to be spread around to retain the bulk of a championship roster. So, unless the franchise is willing to cut a few corners elsewhere, it seems like Walker has played his final down for the Seahawks.
