The Kansas City Chiefs surprised the NFL by signing Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III this offseason, yet one prominent analyst questions whether the investment fits the value he brings to the franchise long term.
Walker left the Seattle Seahawks to join the Chiefs on a three-year, $45 million deal, a move that has drawn mixed reactions, with some excited by his big-play ability and others scrutinizing his long-term worth relative to the contract money.
Sources told ESPN‘s Adam Schefter that Walker agreed to a three-year pact with a $43.05 million base value, and sources told ESPN‘s Brady Henderson that $28.7 million of that is fully guaranteed, terms that stood out early in free-agency chatter.
Kansas City also added defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga from the New England Patriots, signing him to a three-year, $21 million deal that includes $14 million guaranteed, shoring up the front seven as the offense evolves.
The Chiefs clearly prioritized improving their ground attack, intrigued by Walker‘s ability to make highlight-reel runs even when Seattle‘s offensive line struggled to open holes consistently for him.
Walker capped perhaps his best season by winning Super Bowl MVP, but his injury history – missing games in previous seasons due to oblique, calf, and ankle issues – continues to fuel durability questions for evaluators.
Drafted in the second round out of Michigan State in 2022, the 25-year-old Walker posted over 1,100 scrimmage yards and nine touchdowns in each of his first two seasons, missing time due to injury yet still showing high upside.
After improving his diet and sleep last offseason, Walker stayed healthy in 2025 while sharing snaps with Zach Charbonnet, totaling 1,309 scrimmage yards and a 4.6 yards-per-carry average, both career highs in a breakout year.
Analyst raises concerns on Walker’s contract value
Walker‘s production peaked late, with his yards-per-carry average rising over the season, and in the playoffs he took over as Seattle‘s RB1 after Charbonnet‘s ACL injury, spotlighting his talent under pressure.
Last season Walker scored four touchdowns over three playoff games, including a dominant 161 yards on 29 touches in Seattle‘s Super Bowl win, becoming the first back since Terrell Davis to earn the MVP honour.
Despite Walker‘s clear talents, veteran NFL analyst Pete Prisco voiced skepticism about the Chiefs‘ decision to invest heavily in the running back position, noting there are alternatives.
“You can find (running) backs, you can draft them,” Prisco said on NFL on CBS, “Now, there is a lot of talk out there that this is not a great deal for running backs, so I’ll give you that.”
Prisco went further, adding, “I’m not paying a running back that kind of money for a guy. Particularly, a guy who, for most of last year, was just a guy,” questioning whether Walker‘s 2025 output justified such a rich contract.
Walker did force 61 missed tackles last season and had 10 carries of 20+ yards, numbers most Chiefs backs failed to approach, yet the club’s investment still draws scrutiny against NFL norms for the position.
Kansas City‘s backfield struggled in 2025, with starters combining for limited broken tackles and few explosive runs, deepening the case for upgrade but also prompting debate over contract scale.
Although the Chiefs have drafted backs like Kareem Hunt, Isiah Pacheco, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and Brashard Smith with limited long-term impact, drafting remains a cheaper alternative in many evaluators’ minds.
Walker‘s 34 career runs of 20+ yards, fourth most among backs since 2022, and a 55-yard touchdown run in Seattle show the upside, yet financial risk versus traditional value models fuels ongoing debate around this Chiefs decision.
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