Latest Kenneth Walker Franchise Tag News Worries Seahawks Fans

The Seattle Seahawks look to keep as much of their Super Bowl-winning team together as possible. This includes the young players turning into established veterans. The Seahawks’ front office, led by general manager John Schneider, wants to bring back their top running back and Super Bowl LX MVP, Kenneth Walker III. The two have expressed desires for both sides to return during the Super Bowl parade.

The latest report from ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter may have Seahawks fans worrying about the possibility of losing Walker. Schefter states, per league sources, that the Seahawks are unlikely to use the franchise tag while they still re-sign some of their free agents.

Could Kenneth Walker III be gone?

The Seahawks have had a busy offseason already, aside from the Super Bowl parade. They’ve worked hard to retain most of their coaching staff while adding a few more. Schneider and his front staff are also looking into plans to get as many of their stars to re-sign with the team while going out and getting impact players from free agency.

Walker could be a big name in free agency, coming off an incredible late-season and playoff performance. He is set to earn an average of $9 million per year, according to Spotrac. That number might rise due to Walker’s late-season heroics and the fact that second-string running back Zach Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL in the 41-6 Divisional Round win over the San Francisco 49ers.

Walker isn’t the only star the Seahawks have to address. They have free agents like safety Coby Bryant, safety Ty Okada, cornerback Riq Woolen, cornerback Josh Jobe, and wide receiver/return specialist Rashid Shaheed, whom they are evaluating on re-signing.

Plus, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Nigba and cornerback Devon Witherspoon are extension eligible. The cost of a championship-winning team is high.

Walker can still easily return to Seattle

Just because the Seahawks are unlikely to use the franchise tag on Walker doesn’t mean that he is more likely to hit free agency. The Seahawks’ front office doesn’t like using the franchise tag, as they’ve only used it twice since 2010. The projected cost of a franchise tag on a running back this season is somewhere around $14.536 million. This would be $5 million more spent on Walker if the Seahawks get to the $9 million annually.

The Seahawks front office knows how vital he is to the offense and to the philosophy of new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury, who will be a playcaller for the first time in his career. Surprise cuts might be made for the Seahawks to be in a comfortable situation to sign Walker to a long-term deal without using the franchise tag.

Seattle has the sixth-most salary cap space (top 51 players) in the league, available at $63.421 million to make big deals happen. Teams can use the franchise tag between now and March 3. Afterwards, the NFL free agency starts on March 11, with teams allowed to negotiate with free agents on March 9. The Seahawks and Walker might be comfortable before then.

Latest Kenneth Walker Franchise Tag News Worries Seahawks Fans

Could Kenneth Walker III be gone?

Walker can still easily return to Seattle

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