Should the Chicago Bears Sign Kenneth Walker III If He Hits Free Agency?

The NFL's Super Bowl MVP is scheduled to hit free agency. Should the Bears be interested in him if he does

Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) runs against the New England Patriots during the second quarter in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Kenneth Walker is coming off the game of his life when the Seahawks needed it most. He put up 161 total yards against the Patriots' stout defense and became the first running back to be named Super Bowl MVP in 28 years in the process.

Notably, he also made himself a lot of money in the big game, and this postseason, in general.

Kenneth Walker in the four most important games of the season went BALISTIC

550 yards and 4 touchdowns in 4 games

Superstar pic.twitter.com/dbjfdfwrxL

— Joel Moran (@joelvmoran) February 9, 2026

Spotrac projects that he will sign a contract just north of $9 million, but I honestly think that projection is too low. I'd be shocked if he signed a contract for less than $11 million per year (which would match the yearly value for the contract Kyren Williams signed before the season).

Should the Bears be interested in Walker at that price range?

It's a loaded question, and one that I've grappled with myself. I know some are going to scoff at the mere thought of paying Walker. I, myself, would have done the same one month ago. They don't exactly have money to burn this offseason (they're currently sitting at $15 million above the cap and need to make some moves to create wiggle room). They also have a few priority free agents of their own to worry about, including All-Pro defensive leader Kevin Byard III.

However, they could restructure a few contracts and easily get to a point where signing Walker would be feasible. That hypothetical would also involve moving on from D'Andre Swift and also offloading Tremaine Edmunds' contract (two transactions that would save a total of $22 million). Both players are entering the final year of their contracts, after all.

If they were to pay him somewhere in the range of $11 million, I would be all for the signing. While it would be easy to mistake that opinion as recency bias, that isn't the case here. He might not have put up gaudy numbers over his first four seasons, but that's largely due to the Seahawks having a porous offensive line and, even more notably, one of the league's best backup running backs in Zach Charbonnet, who led the team with 12 rushing scores this season.

The Seahawks drafted Charbonnet in the second round one year after adding Walker (also in the second round). His presence has been a thorn in the side of Kenneth Walker III fantasy managers for a long time, as he has held him back from a statistical standpoint from his sophomore year onward.

Kenneth Walker is so damn explosive
Maybe Seattle made the right call limiting his touches all year

— Bengal (@BengalYouTube) February 9, 2026

Make no mistake, though. Walker is hands down one of the league's most talented running backs. That's why we saw him become unleashed after Charbonnet tore his ACL in the Divisional Round matchup against the 49ers. I was shocked when he fell to the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. His combination of power, speed, vision, and contact balance rivals only Jonathan Taylor in today's NFL. Simply put, he's got it all (unless you expect your running backs to catch 80 passes a year, according to Cris Collinsworth, at least).

If Charbonnet hadn't vultured his touches and nerfed his impact, then he would surely be paid like the best of the best. The fact that he has shared the workload with Charbonnet means he will be paid much less than he would have, even with his recent breakout. On the bright side, it also means that he'll have more tread on his tires than he otherwise would.

While I don't think he will be signed for $9 million like Spotrac seems to, I also don't think he will reach Jonathan Taylor's $14 million-per-year threshold. He seems like someone who will be squarely in the $11-$12 million range, considering the circumstances, which would put him somewhere between sixth-highest-paid and eighth-highest-paid backs in the league. For a two-to-three-year deal, the 26-year-old would be well worth the price of admission at that valuation.

Chicago will still have Kyle Monangai under contract through the 2028 NFL season, but that shouldn't stop them from landing one of the league's premier running backs. I wouldn't advocate for getting into a bidding war for his services, but he would be a great addition if the price were right.

Do the Bears need Walker? Definitely not. With that said, they have a clear Super Bowl window with Caleb Williams still on his rookie contract. That would allow them to do some things that would otherwise be ill-advised for a team paying big money on their quarterback.

Walker has already shown what he can do when the lights are at their brightest. He would be a worthwhile swing for the fences for a young team looking to cement its status as a certifiable contender.

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