Seahawks News: Jonathan Jones Names Three Landing Spots for Kenneth Walker III in Free Agency

With him currently holding the title of reigning Super Bowl MVP, it’s safe to say that Kenneth Walker III couldn’t have had any better timing in becoming an unrestricted free agent. The Seattle Seahawks were kind enough not to place their franchise tag on him ahead of the March deadline, essentially allowing the 25 year old, who appears to be at the peak of his powers right now, to finally go out and earn himself a top-tier contract.

According to CBS Sports’ lead NFL insider, Jonathan Jones, there figures to be no shortage of potential suitors for Walker. In typical fashion, however, some franchises figure to be a more likely landing spot than others, especially when you consider the current state of the overall running back market.

“Javonte Williams heads into the combine and gets that $8 million per year from the Dallas Cowboys and that kind of served as a marker for this market,” Jones explained. “Does a team want Kenneth Walker III at $14-ish million, or do they want an [Travis] Etienne at $10 million? It’s going to be how you value that player against what the price is ultimately going to be.”

Given the recent rumors involving the Denver Broncos attempt at trading for the New York Jets RB Breece Hall, Jones suggested that the AFC runner ups could be considered one potential team. In light of the seemingly-inevitable departure of the aforementioned Etienne, Jones also ventured to guess that the Jacksonville Jaguars could be considered as a potential candidate as well.

Much to the delight of the fantasy football community, the third team on Jones’ list proved to be the Kansas City Chiefs, who have been desperately in need of a capable ball carrier ever since the initial decline of Isiah Pacheco. From a pure production standpoint, it’s hard to dislike the idea of pairing any running back, let alone one of Walker’s caliber, with a quarterback who’s as transcendent as Patrick Mahomes.

Throw in the fact that the Chiefs also have nearly $25 million in cap space to play with, as well as their failed attempt at trading for Hall at the 2025 trade deadline, and it certainly seems more plausible than not that Kansas City could be in the market for Walker. There were also rumors tying Walker’s future to the New York Giants, but according to Jones, that’s highly unlikely given the current lay of the land.

“I know a lot of people have been talking about the Giants,” Jones noted. “I would be surprised if the Giants got in on Kenneth Walker III at that top-tier price.”

Jones ultimately closed by noting that fans shouldn’t completely rule out the possibility of Walker returning to Seattle earlier, but given his expected cost, most are assuming that the Seahawks have essentially been priced out. There’s a lot of cash that needs to be spread around in order to retain the bulk of a championship roster, so unless the franchise is willing to cut a few corners elsewhere, then it seems rather safe to say that Walker has played his final down for his soon-to-be former team.