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Kenneth Walker III Is Fourth Super Bowl MVP Free Agent

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Kenneth Walker III Is Fourth Super Bowl MVP Free Agent

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Craig Ellenport | Last updated Mar 10, 2026 12:13 PM ET

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When the Kansas City Chiefs agreed on Monday to sign former Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III, they clearly weren’t worried about the checkered history of Super Bowl MVPs who switched teams via free agency the following season. Walker is the fourth Super Bowl MVP to make this move; none of the first three panned out for their new teams.

Walker, who was named Super Bowl LX MVP after rushing for 135 yards (adding 26 yards receiving) in Seattle’s 29-13 win over the New England Patriots, agreed to terms with the Chiefs on the first day of “legal tampering” before the new NFL season begins. When the free agency period officially opens Wednesday afternoon, Walker will reportedly sign a three-year deal worth $45 million, with more than $28 million guaranteed.

• Fantasy take:Kenneth Walker III withthe Chiefs

The first time a Super Bowl MVP played for a new team the following season happened 30 years ago, when cornerback Larry Brown was the Super Bowl XXX MVP. Brown’s two interceptions helped the Dallas Cowboys beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-17, their third Super Bowl win in four years. Just a few weeks later, Brown signed a five year, $12.5 million contract with the Oakland Raiders.

Former Raiders CEO Amy Trask, now an analyst with CBS Sports, remembers watching Super Bowl XXX and knowing right away that her boss, Raiders owner Al Davis, would make a run at signing Brown.

“Al said to me innumerable times throughout my career: ‘Kid, never leave a team without corners,’” Trask told Athlon Sports. “It thus did not surprise me that we signed Larry and in fact, immediately after the Super Bowl, I told my husband that I was confident we would.”

Davis quickly proved Trask correct.

“Al didn't hesitate to do so,” she said. “He was committed to getting this done.”

Cowboys cornerback Larry Brown accepts the MVP trophy a day after defeating the Steelers in Super Bowl XXX at Sun Devil Stadium. (Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports)

Unfortunately for the Raiders, it was not the big splash they needed. Brown played just eight games in two seasons; the Raiders waived Brown before the 1998 season. Late in the 1998 season, Brown returned to the Cowboys and played the final four games of that season before retiring.

The other two Super Bowl MVPs to leave as free agents didn’t fare much better:

• One year after Brown won it, Desmond Howard was named Super Bowl XXXI MVP in the Green Bay Packers’ 35-21 win over the Patriots. Howard compiled a Super Bowl-record 244 yards of combined punt and kickoff return yards, including a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown. One month later, he followed in Brown’s footsteps — signing a four-year, $6 million deal with the Raiders. And like Brown, Howard only lasted two seasons with his new team. He had two punt return touchdowns for the Raiders in 1998, but he only had six receptions in two seasons and was waived after the ’98 season. Just as Brown returned to the Cowboys, Howard returned to the Packers for eight games in 1999.

• Soon after being named Super Bowl XXXVII MVP for his two-interception performance in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 48-21 win over the Raiders, Dexter Jackson signed a five-year, $14 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals. The deal made Jackson one of the highest-paid safeties in the NFL at the time, and his first season with the Cardinals was promising. Jackson had a career-high six interceptions in 2003. Unfortunately for Jackson and the Cardinals, he developed a bulging disc in his back before the 2004 season. Unable to get back on the field for the Cards, he was waived one month into the ’04 season.

Later in 2004, Jackson was re-signed by the Buccaneers, and he played for Tampa Bay through the 2005 season, before finishing his career with three years with the Bengals.

So the first three Super Bowl MVPs to leave as free agents all re-signed with their Super Bowl-winning teams within two years of leaving. In other words… expect Kenneth Walker III to be playing for the Seahawks again by 2028.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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