The Seattle Seahawks will not place the franchise tag on Kenneth Walker III after weeks of speculation. This now means someone is grabbing the reigning Super Bowl LIX Most Valuable Player this NFL Free Agency period.
Walker has sparked reactions — even from Bruce Springsteen guitarist and Seahawks super fan Little Steven Van Zandt.
Regardless, Walker becomes the most coveted running back for this free agent class. And not just because he dominated against the New England Patriots back in February.
Walker is a two-time 1,000-yard rusher, including hitting 1,027 yards during the Super Bowl run. There are teams that will lean into his championship experience — while also making him the featured back. Here are three big destinations to monitor.
Kenneth Walker to Broncos
Feels like the Denver Broncos are an impact RB away from returning to the big game.
Head coach Sean Payton has Denver in a far better position than the brief era of Nathaniel Hackett. He especially has a franchise QB in place in Bo Nix.
Denver managed to advance to the AFC title game with JK Dobbins going down with a foot injury. RJ Harvey is one on the hot seat this season after struggling in 2025.
Walker will likely love Payton's history with running backs — more recently Alvin Kamara. This is a contender worth visiting if you're Walker.
Walker heads to the NFC South champs
The Carolina Panthers looked like it overachieved last season. They even won the division with one of the worst ground attacks.
Wide receiver rises as a massive strength with Tetairoa McMillan now the new leading target. But quarterback Bryce Young is yet to play with a high-caliber RB.
Walker can change the fortunes here. Carolina surpassed the 110-yard mark for team rushing yards in three of its last nine games.
Granted, Carolina can lure back Rico Dowdle. But he's a pending free agent and this team needs a stronger option in the backfield. Walker is also familiar with North Carolina…having started his collegiate career with Wake Forest.
Walker joins the Chiefs
Kansas City has won titles with Isiah Pacheco. But he's never surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in each of his four seasons. Kareem Hunt also witnessed similar results when he returned to K.C., never matching his 2017 season mark of 1,327 yards.
The lack of a balanced and feared ground game doomed the Chiefs last season. K.C. must address that in a big way this offseason.
Overhearing Walker becoming available must be music to the years for Chiefs Kingdom. He can reignite Super Bowl title chatter around Arrowhead Stadium once again if he arrives.
But another integral factor that could persuade this signing? The return of Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator — who knows all about RB development. “E.B.” and a recent Super Bowl MVP sounds like an epic pairing.
