Kenneth Walker is Gone: Here's What the Seahawks Do at Running Back Now
It's official. The Super Bowl LX MVP walked, and the Seahawks let him go. Kenneth Walker III signed a three-year, $43.05 million deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, and Seattle didn't even blink. General Manager John Schneider made it clear at the NFL combine that while they'd love to keep Walker around, they weren't about to blow up their salary cap doing it. The message was simple: we have a whole championship roster to keep together, not just one guy.
Look, it makes sense on paper. Walker was splitting snaps with Zach Charbonnet in 2025 anyway, and he probably would've stayed in a timeshare this year regardless. You don't pay top-five running back money for a part-time gig, no matter how good you are. So Schneider took the disciplined route, let Walker walk, and turned his attention to filling the void he left behind. That same measured approach? It extended to safety Coby Bryant, who signed a three-year, $40 million deal with the Chicago Bears. These calculated moves should net Seattle a projected four compensatory picks in 2027, according to OverTheCap. That's real asset value down the road.
Building Around Charbonnet and a New Backfield
So what's the plan now? The Seahawks added ex-Green Bay Packer Emanuel Wilson to bring some power running to the backfield. You've got Wilson paired with George Holani and Charbonnet, who's working his way back from a torn ACL he suffered in the playoffs. Solid foundation, but here's the thing: they need speed back in this offense. Walker gave you those explosive home-run plays. That's gone now. That's the hole they're scrambling to fill.
The Free Agency Search
Seattle didn't seriously pursue Tyler Allgeier, despite all the preseason chatter linking the Seahawks to the former Atlanta Falcons back. They had their eye on Chris Rodriguez Jr. from the Washington Commanders as a potential target too, but that didn't materialize either. Now the Seahawks are digging deeper into the free agent market looking for that speed element that can complement what they've already built.
The decisions hurt, no question. But Schneider's betting that keeping your championship core together beats chasing one star. Next offseason, we'll find out if that philosophy pays off. For now, the Seahawks are counting on their new backfield committee and that incoming compensatory pick haul to help address the roster needs that Walker's departure created. It's a gamble, but it's the kind of long-term thinking that built this team in the first place.
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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.