The Chiefs are changing course at running back. After many years with low-cost solutions, Kansas City will bring in this year’s top free agent prize at the position.
Kenneth Walker and the Chiefs are in agreement on a deal, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports. Rumored as potentially not being ready to pay up for Walker, Kansas City is doing just that after its recent run games have underwhelmed. It is a three-year, $43.05MM deal, insider Jordan Schultz tweets. The Chiefs are authorizing $28.7MM guaranteed, per Schultz, who adds the contract can max out at $45MM.
This guarantee trails only Saquon Barkley‘s $36MM number among running backs, even if it represents the total guarantee figure rather than what is guaranteed at signing. This is a massive number for Walker, who split time with Zach Charbonnet last season as the Seahawks did not view their starter as a plus in the passing game. Pass pro is certainly not Walker’s strength, but he is coming off a Super Bowl where he finished with 161 scrimmage yards and became the first running back Super Bowl MVP since Terrell Davis 28 years ago.
Kansas City was believed to be set to come away with a running back during this year’s free agency, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, who also linked the team to Travis Etienne. Ranked higher on PFR’s free agent top 50, Walker represents the bigger prize due to being two years younger (25). He does bring some injury risk, having missed two games apiece in 2022 and ’23 before being sidelined for six games in 2024. But the Chiefs will pay up after Walker’s strong playoff performance punctuated a 17-game 2025.
The Seahawks were in touch with Walker leading up to the legal tampering period, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, but recent rumors had pointed to the defending champs standing down if this market escalated beyond their comfort zone. Pelissero mentioned the Chiefs as a suitor today, and the team will deviate from its low-cost RB plans — which have been in place since Jamaal Charles‘ release nearly 10 years ago.
Following the Charles era, the Chiefs identified Kareem Hunt as a starter and saw him with the rushing title as a rookie. Hunt’s ugly assault on a woman at a Cleveland hotel being captured on video led the Chiefs to cut him during the 2018 season. After the team used Damien Williams as its RB1 in the wake of that separation, the team missed on a first-round pick (Clyde Edwards-Helaire). Isiah Pacheco bailed the Chiefs out on that whiff, but a 2024 leg fracture slowed the seventh-round pick. Both Pacheco and Hunt, who returned to Missouri in 2024, are unsigned.
Walker’s Seahawks tenure included two 1,000-yard rushing seasons. While Charbonnet outscored Walker 12-5 last season, the latter will become Kansas City’s unquestioned lead back in 2026. He figures to be the top running back Patrick Mahomes has played with since at least Hunt 1.0. Walker is also more elusive than even that version of Hunt, with Pro Football Focus ranking him first among RBs in 2025. Though, it will be interesting to see how the Chiefs get around Walker’s pass-pro limitations — which led the Seahawks to use Charbonnet in a near-equal timeshare.
The Chiefs do not have a big-ticket contract at wide receiver, though they are close to re-signing Travis Kelce on a one-year deal. Mahomes’ 10-year contract is continually restructured, moving cap hits down the road. That has helped the Chiefs, who just offloaded Trent McDuffie‘s fifth-year option salary to the Rams. In also letting Jaylen Watson sign with the Rams in free agency, the Chiefs are starting over at corner. But they will have a dynamic RB set to roll come September.
It’s wonderful how this came together so quickly after the tampering period started.
Creating a legal tampering period is sort of like cutting the right lane off a highway. The highway will still have a right lane. It’ll just be one lane over. You create a week of legal tampering and you just get illegal tampering done earlier.
Almost like it was agreed upon days before. Well, the chiefs just shot their wad on that one.
this happens in every sport. Guys may be given permission from their current team to discuss with other clubs, or they may have a “third party” chat with the team about a starting point.
this is never going to change so let’s not worry about timing.
We also know agents and GMs were all in the same bars and hotels during the Combine. It’s not like they were drinking together until 3 am just talking about which Oscar nominated movies they liked best.
Which is why that should really be the opening of the window if they are going to pretend.
@Oooof. They passed a new rule That you can video chat with 5 players for a hour. But yeah im sure agents were floating numbers at the combine.
Did they do it? Is the perpetual “RB is available -> KC” speculation nightmare over?
This gives them some explosion and the team may also get Williams from SF, if a deal doesnt get done. Interesting next five days …
If the Niners can’t afford Williams, the Chiefs won’t be able to also. Walker pretty much is going to strap them for this season especially if Kelce is going to return.
Color me surprised lmao I thought Titans or broncos would get him
Desperate times call for desperate measures
Not a Chief fan… Do they have a good O-line for K9 to run with?
If Simmons can come back healthy and Moore can step in well on the right side, it could be very good. Strong interior for sure.
I think the Chief’s run blocking has been deceiving recently, with Mahomes almost never being under center, their running backs need to run 3-4 yards it seems before they hit the line. Often holes closed before they got there or they lost all momentum with a shift right before the line. I don’t have any advanced stats to back up that claim, it’s just what I seem to fell when I’m watching them. Their success in 1-yard runs for first downs suggests they could do better if they set a RB up for success.
Wasn’t sure they were actually going to go big for a RB, but they seemed determined. Glad to see we’re done with Love to KC in the mocks.
Between this and Kelce return there won’t be any money for the Defensive secondary that’s completely gone.
That’s where the draft comes in. Scouting may have seen some options they can grab that would be sufficient.
I used to be much more opposed to second contracts for running backs, and it’s a lot to pay a guy who can’t pass protect and isn’t much of a pass catcher, but in a world where number three receivers might get this amount of money (and Alec Pierce just got 29 per year), it’s hard to argue with getting a high level running back at this kind of money. It also removes the temptation to go Jeremiah Love in the first round.
Offcourse they would get him and they have two 1st rounders. They do it the right way , trade a good player away , suck for one year then boom back to being serious Super Bowl Contenders. I wish Steelers would pay attention, they should of started Howard and traded Watt and Heyward away last year.Did you know Mike Tomlin never had a losing season..
Having a quarterback answer is the biggest difference, though.
Yeah, agreed. But no worries, as Rooney thinks they’re a player or two away from the SB and Rodgers is the guy who’ll get them there. Dear God
If his weakness is in the passing game,is he the right RB for a team that likes to pass as much as the Chiefs?
Exactly what my thoughts were. Really good players, just confused by the fit in that offense.
The other option linked to KC, Etienne, last year only had 5 catches, 10 yds, and 2 first downs more than Walker on 16 additional targets. Only 5 missed catches (not sure if key drops or bad throws), hard to say if Reid will unlock something different in Walker or if Chiefs will just adjust to less passing since they have a potential breakaway threat now.
Good move for both sides…now I may have to keep Walker on my fantasy team next season
Wow. Good for Walker!
This is the complete opposite of what Andy does at RB but he did occasionally re-sign the more elite backs the Eagles had.
This is exactly why teams should have real GMs in charge rather than just figureheads for the coach who is really in charge of personnel.
What a grab
He is a better receiver than people realize. Chris Collinsworth was wrong!