Seahawks GM John Schneider shares familiar line on Ken Walker's coming free agency

Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the Seattle Seahawks' breakout superstar of the season. However, even with JSN on an Offensive Player of the Year pace and several defensive stars shining, over the last month the best player on the field has often been Kenneth Walker III.

After four tantalizing seasons of occasional flashes of All-Pro ability, Walker has finally been able to put it all together down the stretch and into the playoffs, growing into the elite playmaker we always knew that he could be.

Unless (heaven forbid) Walker suffers a major injury in the Super Bowl next weekend, he's going to cash in when he becomes a free agent in March.

There's always a chance that the Seahawks could re-sign Walker, though - even if it would go against their typical operating method. Here's what general manager John Schneider had to say about Walker's pending free agency, according to Mike Florio at Pro Football Talk.

John Schneider on Ken Walker

“Ken has been awesome,” G.M. John Schneider told reporters on Thursday. “Explosive. I would say maybe a little bit more decisive the last month and a half. He’s a free agent. We’d love to have him back.”

If that sounds familiar it's because it's the exact same line Schneider has used to describe practically every pending Seahawks free agent with any real talent over the last 16 years.

That includes some of the greatest defensive players to take the field anywhere in the sport since the turn of the millenium, many of whom wound up leaving or feeling profoundly disrespected by the offers that they got from the Seahawks front office.

That doesn't necessarily mean that Walker is in for the same treatment, though. While Seattle has been very hesitant to give running backs second contracts, the situation is different in this case.

For one thing, the run game is as important to competing in the modern NFL as at any time in the last 20 years. While teams don't need a Derrick Henry to go all the way, being able to move the chains and keep defenses honest is critical when going against the conservative coverage trends that have dominated the league the last several years.

For another, Walker is a special talent who's earned every penny of a market-setting new contract. Pro Football Focus has him graded out at 91.1 overall, the highest for any player at his position this year.

Walker's unique athleticism gives him a ceiling that only one other running back can best - and his ability to flip the field and turn negative plays into positive ones is unmatched,

The Seahawks are also running the ball as much as any other team in the NFL right now, and having a true superstar at this spot should only produce more value in the coming years - assuming that they can boost their interior offensive line.

Most of all, Walker's game has grown in all the ways it has needed to. Pass protection has long been his Achilles heel but he's come a long way there, and he's also far more patient waiting for his blocks to develop than he was when he first entered the league.

Add it all up and you have a running back with a chance to dominate the sport as long as he's in his prime years - and the Seahawks would be foolish as hell not to want to take advantage of that.

Ken Walker — Jan 17, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) leaves the field following an NFC Divisional Round game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

John Schneider on Ken Walker

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