Seahawks have reportedly made franchise tag call on Kenneth Walker III

NFL teams have from Tuesday through March 3 at 4 p.m. ET to retain the rights to players for 2026 via the franchise tag.

Kevin Patra of the NFL's website noted that "most teams will wait until closer to the end of the window before executing the tag." It appears the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks don't need additional time to determine the status of running back and Super Bowl LX Most Valuable Player Kenneth Walker III.

Seahawks ready to move on from Kenneth Walker III?

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday morning that the Seahawks "are unlikely to use their franchise tag" on Walker. 

"The Seahawks have multiple free agents that they want to retain and sign," Schefter said, "and the team would also try to extend the contract of wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. ...There are enough Super Bowl tax costs for the Seahawks that now make using a franchise tag this offseason unlikely"

The news isn't all that surprising despite the fact that Walker became the reigning Super Bowl MVP. On Monday, ESPN's Brady Henderson shared that Seattle likely would only retain Walker if the two sides could agree to "a multiyear deal" before the new league year opens on March 11. Seahawks general manager John Schneider has used the franchise tag twice in 16 seasons. 

ESPN stats show that Walker led the 2025 Seahawks with 221 carries and 1,027 regular-season rushing yards. Over 17 games, he tallied five rushing touchdowns. 

Most recently, Walker rushed for 135 yards on 27 carries and caught two passes for 26 yards in Seattle's Super Bowl LX win over the New England Patriots. 

Could Seahawks keep Kenneth Walker III without using the franchise tag? 

Fellow Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL in mid-January that could sideline him for at least a portion of the 2026 season. Per Cameron Van Til, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell said during a recent appearance on Seattle Sports 710 that it could "make sense for the Seahawks" to re-sign Walker if the 25-year-old would accept a contract worth around $12M-$14M per season.

"I think one of the things people don’t realize about the running back market is it’s really stayed stagnant, while wide receiver has gone up so dramatically that now your top-tier running backs are not making wide receiver No. 1 money," Barnwell explained at that time. "They’re not even making wide receiver No. 2 money."