After getting their hands on the Vince Lombardi trophy, the next task on the agenda for the Seattle Seahawks is to figure out the next move regarding running back Kenneth Walker, who’ll be headed to free agency. General Manager John Schneider claimed the RB tried negotiating five minutes before the Super Bowl parade, but Walker remembered the situation a little differently.

“Must’ve been the liquor he drinking cuz I never said that shi😭😭!” he posted on his Instagram story.

Schneider, who kicked off the parade by leading “MVP” chants for his running back, followed up with a joke about Walker’s contract talks.

“He tried negotiating with me five minutes ago,” Schneider said. “It was really weird.”

It was no surprise that the topic of Walker’s contract came up in the parade, because Walker had just delivered a performance worthy of the spotlight. In the Super Bowl win over the Patriots, he carried the ball 27 times for 135 yards, consistently testing New England’s run defense, as he walked away with MVP honors.

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At the same time, Walker became the first running back to become the Super Bowl MVP since Terrell Davis in 1997. It wasn’t just the Super Bowl either, as he piled up 417 rushing yards and four touchdowns in the playoffs, making his importance clear to Seattle’s front office.

Things were a little different a year ago, as Walker’s name surfaced in trade rumors ahead of the 2025 season, particularly as Zach Charbonnet began carving out a larger role, but Walker changed that narrative over the course of this year. He played in every game, finishing with 1,027 rushing yards on 221 carries and posting a 43.9 percent rushing success rate.

According to Pro Football Focus, he earned an 88.4 overall grade, including a 90.2 mark as a runner and a 66.8 grade as a receiver, and if there was ever a thought about moving on, this postseason likely changed it. And right now, keeping Walker in Seattle should be a priority for the front office, but how complicated would it be?

Keeping Walker would be costly for the Seahawks

Kennett Walker is on a rather modest rookie contract right now, a four-year $8,441,581 deal that includes a $3,319,332 signing bonus and guaranteed money of $6,144,040. It only makes sense that Walker would aim for a very lucrative deal during the offseason.

He won’t be alone in the market, as Breece Hall, Javonte Williams, Rico Dowdle, and Travis Etienne are all expected to reach free agency, but still, given the season Walker just completed, he figures to be at or near the top of many teams’ wish lists. The Seattle Seahawks are in a healthier cap position than most, with roughly $73.1 million in space, but it doesn’t make the decision simpler.

According to Spotrac, Walker’s projected market value sits at about $9.01 million per year, with an expected four-year deal, which is a significant jump from his current average annual salary of $2,110,395. In fact, his projected new yearly number would exceed what he has earned on average across his entire rookie contract.

Walker’s playful pushback to John Schneider during the parade suggests he understands the leverage he now holds and is certainly keeping his options open, as he should. There are teams around the league, including the Chiefs, who could use a dependable back, and Walker’s decision would be based on a mix of money and sporting project.