Kenneth Walker III delivered the performance of his career in Super Bowl 60, rushing for 135 yards and earning MVP honors as Seattle Seahawks defeated New England Patriots 29-13.
Now the Seahawks risk losing him entirely after ESPN‘s Adam Schefter reported the franchise won’t use their tag to keep him.
NFL teams can start allocating franchise tags to players on Tuesday, but Seattle will pass on using theirs to retain Walker despite his dominant postseason.
The decision stems from a crowded list of contract priorities following their championship victory, with star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba expected to command a lucrative extension alongside other key free agents.
A franchise tag provides a one-year guaranteed contract that allows teams to retain key players approaching free agency.
The Seahawks choosing not to use it on their Super Bowl MVP signals either confidence they can negotiate a long-term deal or acceptance that his price tag exceeds what they’re willing to pay after accounting for other roster needs.
Walker became the first running back to win Super Bowl MVP since Terrell Davis in Super Bowl XXXII following the 1997 season. His 135 rushing yards against the Patriots also matched the most by any player in a Super Bowl since Davis accomplished the feat 28 years earlier.
The 25-year-old added 26 receiving yards on two catches against New England, capping a playoff run that saw him record 417 rushing yards, the most of any player in the postseason.
His dominance came after fellow running back Zach Charbonnet tore his ACL in the divisional round, forcing Walker into an expanded role as the team’s outright number one back.
Regular season workload sharing masked Walker’s ceiling
Walker rushed for 1,027 yards on 221 attempts during the regular season while scoring five touchdowns. Those solid but unspectacular numbers reflected Seattle‘s approach of sharing his workload with Charbonnet throughout the year.
The injury to his backfield mate revealed what Walker could accomplish with a featured role, transforming him into an unstoppable force in the playoffs.
That postseason explosion likely increased his market value significantly beyond what the Seahawks anticipated paying before the playoffs began. Teams desperate for an elite running back now have tape of Walker carrying a championship offense on his back against the league’s best defenses. Multiple NFL franchises are expected to pursue him aggressively once free agency opens.
General manager John Schneider faces difficult decisions after winning a Super Bowl. Extending Smith-Njigba takes priority given the premium placed on elite receivers in the modern NFL. Other key free agents also need attention, leaving limited financial flexibility for a running back position that many teams devalue despite Walker‘s MVP performance.
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