The Seattle Seahawks are in Super Bowl LX and will be facing the New England Patriots. Nonetheless, right after the big games, the front office will need to make a decision on Kenneth Walker III, who can test the open market in mid-March.
Walker had 221 carries for 1,027 yards and scored 5 touchdowns in 17 games this season, per StatMuse. Moreover, he had an impressive three-touchdown performance in the divisional round to help Seattle eliminate the San Francisco 49ers.
On Jan. 27, former Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander shared his thoughts on whether Seattle should look to keep Walker long-term.
“I think he’s big,” Alexander said on “Up & Adams.” “I think, just like anything, the business is the business. But I think he’s the guy that, if we had to, and which we are going to have to, to win the Super Bowl, is ride him and only him, he’ll put up the 100 yards, the two touchdowns, and win us a Super Bowl.
“He’s actually in the same situation I was when I went to the Super Bowl, where the money is on the line, and then he’s going to come through. So he gets one more win than I had, and it’s going to be awesome.”
JSN Talks Seahawks Reaching the Super Bowl
Along with Walker, the other offensive weapon that the Seahawks will need for a big game in the Super Bowl is Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The Seattle star recorded 10 receptions for 153 receiving yards and one touchdown in the tightly contested matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
Following the NFC title game, the Seattle standout spoke with FOX Sports and shared his thoughts on his performance as the Seahawks are now one win away from winning a Super Bowl.
“I told my team, ‘I’m going to do whatever it takes. Whatever you all ask for me, I’m going to get it done. Whatever that might be,‘” Smith-Njigba said postgame. “And that’s what you saw today. You just saw grit, determination. You saw passion out there, and you saw a group, a collective, going out there and getting the job done.”
Sam Darnold Puts Super Bowl Spotlight on Teammates
Nonetheless, if Seahawks QB Sam Darnold has an amazing game as he did against the Rams while Walker leads the running attack, Seattle could be too much for the Patriots. Darnold went 25-for-36 on his pass attempts for 346 passing yards and three touchdowns and will look to replicate this stat line against New England.
Although Darnold has needed to overcome adversity in his NFL career, the veteran put the focus on his teammates after Seattle punched their ticket to the Super Bowl.
“It’s amazing to be able to do it with these guys in this locker room, with this coaching staff,“ Darnold told FOX Sports postgame. “That’s why it means the world to me… I haven’t really thought about [his journey to the Super Bowl] much, to be honest, but I take it one day at a time. That’s it, one day at a time, every single day. Like I said, to be able to do it, it’s a special group, and I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else.”
Seahawks Get Major Free Agent Message on Kenneth Walker III