Among those critical of the Seattle Seahawks not giving Kenneth Walker III the franchise tag is Bruce Springsteen's guitarist, Little Steven Van Zandt.
Van Zandt took to X, formerly Twitter, to respond to Adam Schefter's post about the Seahawks not giving Walker the franchise tag after being named Super Bowl MVP this year. He was highly critical of Seattle's front office.
“Historic stupidity! Other than Bijan Robinson who's on a level by himself, Walker is a franchise making monster as good as every other running [back] in the league. They are Super Bowl Super Fools!” he wrote, tagging several ESPN personalities like Schefter and Dan Orlovsky.
He continued the conversation with his fans on X. One fan pointed out that the “value” of the running back is “less than we think” due to the length of their careers.
“You are right, of course. But meanwhile, that's a stupid way of looking at it! And that IS how they look at it,” Van Zandt said. “Walker hasn't peaked. He's just getting started. Just because the average Back only lasts 3 or 4 years, doesn't mean he can't be useful RIGHT NOW. And who knows he could be another Emmet Smith (15 seasons), Riggins (14), Payton (13), Marcus Allen (16!), Tomlinson (11), Adrian Peterson (15)! Etc. You never know.”
Did the Seahawks franchise tag Kenneth Walker III?
The Seahawks decided not to franchise tag Walker or any of their other impending free agents. This means that the reigning Super Bowl MVP may not return to the Seahawks.
Now, they still have time to work out a deal before free agency begins. If they don't, they could risk losing Walker to another team. He will be free to negotiate and sign with other teams if he hits free agency.
Plenty of teams will be interested. He is coming off his second-ever 1,000-yard rushing season. He was named Super Bowl MVP for his stellar performance against the New England Patriots. Walker had 135 rushing yards and 26 receiving yards in the win.
