Report expands on why Seahawks didn't keep Chiefs' Kenneth Walker III this offseason

Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider has received criticism from Seattle fans and other members of the NFL community for not keeping running back and Super Bowl LX Most Valuable Player Kenneth Walker III this past offseason. 

Walker eventually joined the Kansas City Chiefs, and he has played like a regular-season MVP Award candidate as the Chiefs opened their season with five straight wins. For a piece published on Friday, ESPN's Nate Taylor and Brady Henderson explained that Seahawks "decision-makers had reservations about [Walker's] availability dating to his rookie season, according to sources familiar with the team's thinking."

History caused Seahawks to pass on paying Kenneth Walker III?

"Over his first three seasons," Taylor and Henderson wrote about Walker, "he missed games due to a hernia, separate ankle injuries, separate oblique injuries and a calf injury. He also missed chunks of spring and summer 2025 with soreness in a foot and ankle." 

As Taylor and Henderson pointed out, however, Walker then played in all of Seattle's 20 games leading up to the Super Bowl victory. The Seahawks nevertheless decided either before or shortly after that game that they would not retain Walker's rights for 2026 via the franchise tag. 

"The $14.3M cost was clearly prohibitive in their eyes," Taylor and Henderson wrote about that choice. 

In March, Walker signed a three-year contract with the Chiefs that reportedly could be worth up to $45M. Months after he inked that deal, he admitted that he realized during the 2025 season that the Seahawks "probably" were going to let him reach free agency. 

The Chiefs may soon send Schneider a Christmas card for letting Walker go, as the StatMuse website shows that the ball carrier heads into this weekend leading the NFL with 152 yards from scrimmage per game for the season. Walker will have an opportunity to get some revenge when the 5-0 Chiefs play at the 3-3 Seahawks this coming Sunday night. As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Kansas City as a three-point road underdog for that game.

How much were Seahawks willing to pay Kenneth Walker III?

"According to multiple sources familiar with the team's plans," Taylor and Henderson noted about the Seahawks, "they were only willing to go as high as roughly $10M per season to re-sign [Walker] in March."

It's far too early to know whether the Seahawks or the Chiefs will ultimately be seen as winners regarding their Walker decisions. As of Oct. 23, those running the Chiefs almost certainly have no regrets about the money they attached to Walker's contract earlier this year.