Report: Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III signing with Chiefs

Kenneth Walker III’s time with the Seattle Seahawks has come to an end.

The Super Bowl MVP running back is signing with the Kansas City Chiefs, according to a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on Monday morning in the opening hour of the NFL’s free agent negotiating window.

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Walker is signing a three-year contract worth up to $45 million, which makes it the highest-paid deal for a free agent running back in NFL history, according to Pelissero.

Moments after the news broke, Walker confirmed it with a social media post.

𝒞𝒽𝒾ℯ𝒻𝓈 𝒦𝒾𝓃𝓰𝒹ℴ𝓂 pic.twitter.com/Eb38Eja3Ms

— 𝒦ℰ𝒩𝒩ℰ𝒯ℋ 𝒲𝒜ℒ𝒦ℰℛ ℐℐℐ🤍 (@Kenneth_Walker9) March 9, 2026

Walker is now set to become just the fourth player in NFL history to win Super Bowl MVP and then begin the following season with a different team.

A 2022 second-round draft pick by Seattle, Walker is coming off of the best season of his career. While splitting snaps with backfield mate Zach Charbonnet during the regular season, Walker rushed for 1,027 yards, 4.6 yards per carry and five touchdowns in 17 games. He also had 31 catches for 282 yards.

Walker then took over the lion’s share of the workload in the playoffs after Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL in the divisional round. Walker totaled 313 rushing yards, 104 receiving yards and four touchdowns over Seattle’s three postseason games – capped by 161 yards from scrimmage in the Seahawks’ Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots.

Brock and Salk react to Seahawks losing RB Kenneth Walker III

As a rookie out of Michigan State in 2022, Walker rushed for a career-high 1,050 yards and 4.6 yards per carry. However, his production dipped over the next two seasons as he dealt with injuries. He ran for 905 yards and 4.1 yards per carry in 2023, followed by a career-low 573 yards and 3.7 yards per carry in 2024.

After missing a combined 10 games over his first three seasons, Walker stayed healthy and played all 20 regular season and postseason games for the Seahawks in 2025. And after being known as a boom-or-bust back for much of his career, Walker turned a corner over the second half of 2025 by meshing his explosive speed and ankle-breaking elusiveness with more play-to-play consistency.

Over Seattle’s final six games from Week 16 through the Super Bowl, Walker totaled 771 yards from scrimmage, 5.2 yards per carry and five touchdowns. According to FTN Fantasy, he also finished with a league-best 33.6% avoided tackle rate across both the regular season and postseason.

But ultimately, Walker’s price tag seemingly soared beyond what the Seahawks were willing to pay.

Seattle now has some question marks at running back, especially with uncertainty over Charbonnet’s status as he recovers from his torn ACL. At the moment, the Seahawks’ other in-house running back options are George Holani, Kenny McIntosh, Velus Jones Jr., Cam Akers and Jacardia Wright.

Seattle Seahawks offseason coverage

• Report: Seattle Seahawks safety Coby Bryant signing with Bears
• Report: Seattle Seahawks edge rusher Boye Mafe signing with Bengals
• CB Josh Jobe reportedly returns to Seattle Seahawks on 3-year deal
• Report: Seattle Seahawks re-signing LB Drake Thomas on 2-year deal
• NFL free agency primer: All the rules and terms to know

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