After Leading Seahawks to Super Bowl, Kenneth Walker Wants to Stay in Seattle

Walker hit the 1,000 rushing yard mark for the second time in his career this season, racking up 1,027 yards to go with five touchdowns.

Kenneth Walker III #9 of the Seattle Seahawks stretches during a practice ahead of Super Bowl LX at the San Jose State University in San Jose, California, on February 05, 2026. Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker wants to stay where he is.

Walker and his counterpart Zach Charbonnet have formed a formidable 1-2 punch in the backfield that has helped guide the Seahawks to the Super Bowl. But with Walker on the final year of his rookie contract, his future is up in the air regardless of the outcome on Sunday. Walker is set to make more money this offseason, but both sides are interested in a reunion.

“I’ve been here four years, so you know I’ve gotten to know a lot of stuff about Seattle, and you know a lot of the city, and I feel like they feel good about me as well,” Walker told NFL.com in an interview. “So if it was my choice, though, I'd definitely stay.”

Walker hit the 1,000 rushing yard mark for the second time in his career this season, racking up 1,027 yards to go with five touchdowns. He added 31 catches for 282 yards.

Walker was the lightning to Charbonnet’s thunder: he put up 730 yards and 12 touchdowns. The pair headlined a Seahawks rushing attack that ranked 11th in the league in yards and 10th in touchdowns.

“Personally, I always want to get better each year,” Walker told the outlet about his performance. “It means a lot. You learn it each year. This is another chance for me to learn more.”

Charbonnet went down with a torn ACL in the Seahawks’ Divisional Round win over the San Francisco 49ers. Walker stepped up big time, racking up 178 yards and four touchdowns in two playoff contests.

Walker is in the final year of his rookie contract and is set to become a free agent once the new league year begins in March. According to Spotrac, his market value is just under $8.4 million per year.

Charbonnet is under contract for another year, and the Seahawks have 2024 undrafted free agent George Holani, and practice squad running backs Velus Jones Jr. and Cam Akers on the roster; Charbonnet, Kenny McIntosh, and Jacardia Wright are on injured reserve. But the Seahawks also have approximately $75.6 million in cap space going into the offseason.

Walker was keenly aware of his impending free agency, but he did not let it affect his performance or his mindset during the season.

“[I] just played the game,” he said.

“I feel like if you try to prove people, people are going to have something to say either way, you know what I’m saying, if you do good or bad. So I can’t really prove it to nobody. I just want to do good for my family ... and my team.”

Seahawks rookie guard Grey Zabel talked up Walker as both a player and a teammate this week.

“It’s not a ’me‘ thing with him, it’s a ’we,'” Zabel said at his Wednesday press conference.

“[A]s an offensive lineman, he’s everything you could possibly want as a running back. He’s a great dude. He’s a great leader. He’s an unbelievable running back, and he makes us right a lot of the time.”

“If we miss a block here and there, he tends to make us right. So that’s just a testament to the guy he is, the character he is. I’m crossing my fingers that he’s in the locker room next year as a Seahawk, because he’s a piece that’s very vital to the success that we’ve had, and he’s going to continue to keep having success with how hard a worker he is and the mentality that he brings to this team,” he added.

Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald also said he wants Walker back, but they would worry about that when the time comes.

“Well, of course, we want Ken back,” he said on Monday.

“I mean, he’s a phenomenal player. He’s a great person. He’s a great teammate. Those are the people we want in our building. Those are the people we want as Seahawks. And I’m sure Ken feels the same way. Again, those are things that we’re going to have to worry about. Not right now. Those are decisions we'll make in the future, but Ken knows how we feel about him, and I think we know how Ken feels about us.”