One Free-Agent the Seahawks Must Let Someone Else Overpay

The Seattle Seahawks are getting ready for the start of free agency and they are prepared to let Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III sign elsewhere.

The Seahawks signaled their intentions when they chose not to use the franchise tag on him, which was worth over $14 million. The Seahawks have a number in mind on what they would be willing to pay Walker, but there is a chance another team could choose to pay more, which would ultimately end the running back's tenure in Seattle.

"There's a number where signing Walker makes sense—both to the Seahawks and other teams," Bleacher Report contributor Gary Davenport wrote.

"However, the more that figure creeps north of $10 million a season, the less sense it makes. That's featured back money, and while Walker filled that role for Seattle in the playoffs, it was out of necessity. Before Zach Charbonnet got hurt, the duo split carries in the backfield.

"Walker has never had 230 carries in a season and has a history of soft-tissue injuries—the 25-year-old has missed time in three of four NFL seasons, including six games in 2024. There's been nothing to date to indicate Walker is a 350-touch back. Paying him like a 350-touch workhorse is a risky bet."

Seahawks Could See Rival Overpay Walker

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald and running back Kenneth Walker III. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Seahawks want to bring back as many free agents as possible, so they cannot break the bank and offer one player too much money as it will throw everyone off. Walker is probably the free agent that the Seahawks would bend the most for, but the team has made it clear that he is replaceable.

Walker is arguably the best free agent on the market, but the Seahawks have set a very fair value for him at around $10 million. The Seahawks would gladly pay him a contract of two or three years at that salary, similar to what the Baltimore Ravens paid Derrick Henry two years ago.

The Seahawks will struggle if they need to go in a different direction, but they will likely spend a draft pick on a running back and possibly sign a replacement if Walker signed elsewhere. Without Walker, the Seahawks will find a way to recover, but they would prefer to sign their guy — at the value they deem acceptable for him.

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