Kenneth Walker capped off his contract year in grand fashion, winning Super Bowl MVP and carrying the Seattle Seahawks offense through the playoffs to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. After demonstrating his value to the club, Walker has now put Seattle into an interesting spot this offseason.
Appearing on NFL Network, insider Ian Rapoport said that Walker’s postseason run absolutely raised the asking price of his next contract. Seattle “would really like to keep him” and using either the franchise or transition tag on him is an option.
Related: Why Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald Should Be a Lesson for the NFL
One thing that Rapoport mentioned is that Seattle re-signing Walker wasn’t a given at one point during the 2025 NFL season. Through his first 14 regular-season games, Walker averaged just 55.6 rushing yards per game with 4 rushing touchdowns and 176 receiving yards on 22 receptions. He was productive, but only as an effective part of a running back committee with Zach Charbonnet.
Then, Walker delivered in a critical stretch of games for Seattle. In a must-win game at home against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 16, he put up 164 scrimmage yards and 3 touchdowns in a 38-37 overtime win. Two weeks later against the San Francisco 49ers, in a matchup that decided the NFC’s No. 1 seed, he delivered 133 scrimmage yards in a 13-3 victory.
That success carried over into the NFL playoffs. Walker put up 145 scrimmage yards and 3 touchdowns in a Divisional Round victory over San Francisco, contributed 111 scrimmage yards with a score in the 31-27 NFC Championship Game win against Los Angeles, and then carried the Seahawks offense with 161 scrimmage yards in the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots. In three playoff games, he averaged 4.8 yards per carry, scored 4 touchdowns, and put up 417 scrimmage yards.
According to OvertheCap.com, the franchise tag value for a running back in 2026 is expected to be $14.536 million whereas the transition tag is at $11.728 million fully guaranteed. However, the transition tag allows Walker to negotiate with other clubs and Seattle would have the choice of matching an offer sheet he signed or declining it and losing him for nothing.
Given that Charbonnet is recovering from an ACL tear, it seems even more likely that the Seahawks will find a way to keep Walker in the fold for next season. Using the franchise tag is the easiest path to keeping him, especially for a club that is projected to have more than $70 million in cap space this offseason.
