Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III linked with two AFC teams

The Seattle Seahawks reportedly "are unlikely to use their franchise tag" on running back and Super Bowl LX Most Valuable Player Kenneth Walker III before the deadline to do so arrives at 4 p.m. ET this coming Tuesday. 

As ESPN's Brady Henderson shared on Friday, Seahawks general manager John Schneider said at the NFL scouting combine this week that "we'd love to have Ken back, and he knows this better than anybody." However, it sounds like a bidding war for Walker's services could arise if he is able to hit the open market. 

Why Chiefs may address running back ahead of the draft

For a piece published Thursday night, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated wrote that the Kansas City Chiefs "loom as an interesting suitor" regarding Walker's services. Breer pointed out that the Chiefs explored acquiring running back Breece Hall from the New York Jets ahead of this past season's trade deadline. 

"While drafting Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love would be a more economical way to [bolster the running back position], there’s no assurance that a guy who many see as the draft’s top player, even at a devalued position, will be there when the Chiefs pick at No. 9," Breer added.

For what it's worth, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. predicted earlier this week that the Chiefs will be able to grab Love with the draft's ninth pick. That said, uncertainty about the status of quarterback Patrick Mahomes coming off the torn ACL and torn LCL that he suffered in mid-December could cause a Kansas City team that ended this past season at 6-11 to make a bold free-agency splash and then address a different position via a first-round draft choice.

AFC playoff team also monitoring Kenneth Walker III?

Meanwhile, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle revealed on Thursday that the Houston Texans "may target" Walker as soon as when the legal-tampering portion of free agency opens on March 9. Two offseasons ago, the Texans pursued Saquon Barkley before he ultimately signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.

ESPN stats show that the Texans finished this past regular season ranked 22nd in the NFL with an average of 108.9 rushing yards per game. Additionally, first-choice Houston running back Joe Mixon doesn't seem to be all that close to returning to action from the lingering foot injury that cost him the entire 2025 campaign.

Henderson mentioned that "the best hope for the Seahawks getting a deal done with Walker is that a buyer's market for running backs keeps his price in Seattle's preferred territory." It sounds like the reigning Super Bowl champions won't be so lucky.