Kenneth Walker III’s decision to leave the Seattle Seahawks may have been a long time coming.
Walker was “privately irked” at having to share the running back job with Zach Charbonnet last season, according to Gregg Bell of The News Tribune. Walker’s exit was largely sealed in late January when he opted to switch agents ahead of free agency.
Walker was particularly frustrated that the move came during a contract year. Ultimately, this did not impact his value, as he was able to parlay an excellent postseason into a $45 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he should be the No. 1 backfield option.
The Seahawks would likely counter that having Walker split time with Charbonnet was a move to try and keep Walker healthy. He had failed to play all 17 games in each of his first three seasons, but did so last year with the reduced workload. He still succeeded in topping the 1,000-yard mark as well and looked very fresh in the playoffs.
Ultimately, Walker wanted a bigger role and the Seahawks were unwilling to give it to him. They will now have to scrape together a new backfield with Charbonnet likely to miss much of 2026 after suffering a torn ACL during the playoffs.
