In November, a report surfaced indicating Kenneth Walker was not a clear-cut re-signing target for the Seahawks. But circumstances have changed since. The team has advanced to Super Bowl LX, and Zach Charbonnet is out after suffering an ACL tear in the divisional round.
Charbonnet is under contract for one more season but is now rehabbing a major injury. Walker is set for free agency, and Mike Macdonald recently expressed interest in the former second-round pick staying. Walker, 25, also wants to remain in the Pacific Northwest.
“I’ve been here four years, so you know I’ve gotten to know a lot of stuff about Seattle, and you know a lot of the city, and I feel like they feel good about me as well,” Walker said, via NFL.com’s Kevin Patra. “So if it was my choice, though, I’d definitely stay.”
Considering the talent gap between Walker and his healthy backups, it would behoove the Seahawks to enter into contract talks. The team has barely a month left of exclusive negotiating rights with its starting running back. Walker is poised to join Breece Hall and Travis Etienne as the top RBs available on this year’s market. Hall has been connected to a possible franchise tag, which is projected (via OverTheCap) to come in around $14.5MM. A transition tag, which brings no compensation in the event of an unmatched offer sheet, is projected to cost more than $11MM.
The Seahawks are in great shape, cap-wise, having signed Sam Darnold to what looks like a wildly team-friendly contract. They are projected to hold more than $73MM in cap space. The team will likely enter extension talks with Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but talks with DB Coby Bryant did not produce a deal. Defenders Boye Mafe and Riq Woolen also are expected to hit free agency next month. Walker could suddenly profile as a player at or near the top of the NFC champions’ priority list.
Walker stayed healthy this season, playing 17 games, and posted his second 1,000-yard slate (1,027) but has seen injury trouble affect him during periods on his rookie contract. And the team gave Charbonnet a bigger role in 2025. Charbonnet tallied a 49% snap share this season to Walker’s 47%. The 2023 second-round pick had previously held more of a true backup role, but he impressed in training camp this year and secured the trust of Klint Kubiak and Co. Charbonnet will now be a candidate to begin next season on the reserve/PUP list; that would strengthen Walker’s leverage in Seahawks talks.
The Hawks have re-signed RBs in the past, inking Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny to second contracts. They also re-signed Marshawn Lynch under GM John Schneider in 2015. Both Carson and Penny ran into injury trouble on their second deals, however. The team drafted Walker months after Carson’s career-ending neck injury. Seattle will need to pony up more money if a second Walker pact is to commence, but it would now make sense for the team to show interest.
I didn’t think there was a chance we would entertain resigning Walker. He looks the part of a starter and if not a star pretty close. It is the injuries that have killed him.
Seems we have a hard time drafting RBs that stay healthy lately. If Walker can hold the fort until Charbs gets back that will be great. They can ease him back in then let Charbs carry the torch while Walker gets a blow at the end of the season. Then have both healthy for another SB push.
Hopefully this doesn’t turn into a Riq situation. Finally thought he might be getting it then pulls the total brain fart against SF. We need smarter players than that.
It’s also tough that for as talented a runner as Walker is, they clearly don’t trust him to pass block at all.
Shocking. I figured he’d say he hated being in Seattle before they play in the Super Bowl.