Kenneth Walker III looks comfortable in red.
The former Seattle Seahawks running back opened his Kansas City Chiefs career by rushing for 45 yards on his first nine carries against the Denver Broncos on Monday night, adding a 5-yard reception before the second quarter reached its midpoint. For Seahawks fans watching the 5-foot-9, 211-pound runner work, the obvious question is back again: Why did Seattle let him leave?
The short answer is free agency and money.
Walker completed the four-year rookie contract he signed after Seattle selected him No. 41 overall in the 2022 NFL draft. The Seahawks did not use the franchise or transition tag on Walker before free agency, allowing the 25-year-old to hit the open market.
Kansas City made sure he did not stay there long.
Kenneth Walker’s Chiefs Contract Helped End His Seahawks Run
The Chiefs agreed to a three-year contract with Walker worth up to $45 million and including $28.7 million guaranteed, according to the NFL’s 2026 free-agency tracker.
Gregg Bell of The News Tribune reported in March that Walker’s departure came down in part to Kansas City offering more money than Seattle was willing to pay.
Walker was not traded. There was no release. His contract expired, Seattle chose not to prevent him from entering unrestricted free agency, and Kansas City won the bidding.
It was an unusually abrupt ending considering what had happened one month earlier.
Walker finished the 2025 regular season with 1,027 rushing yards and 282 receiving yards, then produced 417 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns during Seattle’s postseason run. His 161 scrimmage yards in Super Bowl LX earned him game MVP honors.
Then he was gone.
Seahawks Had to Rebuild Their Backfield Without Walker
Seattle knew keeping its entire championship roster was unrealistic. General manager John Schneider said before free agency that the Seahawks wanted as much continuity as possible, while acknowledging the financial puzzle involved in retaining so many players.
Walker became one of the casualties.
The Seahawks signed former Green Bay Packers running back Emanuel Wilson after Walker departed and later used a first-round pick on Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price. Seattle’s transition became even more significant with Zach Charbonnet recovering from the knee injury he suffered during the playoffs.
Seattle effectively chose to reset the position rather than match the type of long-term commitment Kansas City made to Walker.
Kenneth Walker’s Career Stats Show What Seattle Lost
Walker entered Monday night with 3,555 rushing yards and 29 rushing touchdowns over four regular seasons with Seattle. He also caught 133 passes for 1,005 yards and two touchdowns.
That is 4,560 yards from scrimmage and 31 touchdowns in 58 regular-season games.
He is listed by Kansas City at 5-foot-9 and 211 pounds and is 25 years old.
And in his first regular-season appearance since leaving Seattle, the Chiefs were wasting little time treating him like the player they paid for. Through 11:04 remaining in the second quarter Monday, Walker had 50 yards from scrimmage on 10 touches while Kansas City and Denver were tied 7-7.
For Seattle, Walker’s departure was not really about deciding he could no longer run.
It was about deciding how much the Seahawks were willing to pay him to keep doing it.
Why Kenneth Walker III Left Seahawks for Chiefs After Super Bowl Run