Seahawks' Mike Macdonald Makes Stance Clear on Ken Walker III's Free Agency

Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider often lets his unrestricted free agents test the open market. But allowing running back Kenneth Walker III to do so could come back to bite Seattle if they truly want their leading rusher back in a Seahawks uniform.

The Seahawks are likely to try and get Walker back in the $10 million-per-year range, but another team could likely court him with more cash and/or more guarantees. Eight running backs are currently making north of that figure, but most have proven they are elite at the position.

Walker was exceptional in the playoffs en route to a Super Bowl MVP, but he also ranked 16th in rushing yards (1,027), third in rushes of 20 or more yards (10) and T-34th in rushing touchdowns (5) in the regular season. That, however, was while splitting carries with Zach Charbonnet.

"We won a Super Bowl with him," Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said of Walker at the NFL Scouting Combine, per ESPN's Brady Henderson. "I don't know what his stats are, but I know he affected every game in a pretty significant manner, so I thought he had a heck of a season, and I think it can get even better. He's so talented. It's like, let's keep pushing the envelope, man. Let's take it to the next level."

Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald and running back Kenneth Walker III (9) celebrate with the Vince Lombardi trophy after defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Macdonald clearly wants Walker back, especially considering Charbonnet could miss a good portion of the 2026 season after undergoing knee surgery following the Super Bowl.

If Charbonnet is out and Walker leaves, the Seahawks' next best rusher would be 2024 undrafted free agent George Holani — turning Seattle's previously two-headed monster in the backfield into a huge question mark.

The draft is an option, of course, but Macdonald would rather have the continuity into 2026. Beginning the year with a new offensive coordinator and a new backfield would put a lot more pressure on Sam Darnold to carry the offense.

Darnold is capable of keeping that unit productive, but he hasn't consistently shown he has the hero quarterback archetype. He wins games behind a good run game.

According to Henderson, it still might be a risk that the Seahawks take.

"And even though they might not have Charbonnet until well past the start of next season, they may be reluctant to pay top-end starter money to someone they'd likely prefer to keep in a time-sharing role," Henderson wrote.

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