The Seattle Seahawks left Week 4 with a 23-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals, but running back Kenneth Walker III left Glendale with a hefty fine.
The NFL fined Walker for his unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the second quarter, NFL insider Tom Pelissero reported. Walker got up after a short run and pointed at cornerback Kei'Trel Clark, who tackled him, before throwing the ball at Clark.
Walker's throwing the ball earned him the penalty, and likely the fine, but it was a reaction to Clark pulling his ankle after the tackle.
The NFL fined #Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III $11,593 for taunting — pointing and tossing the ball at #Cardinals CB Kei’Trel Clark, who’d yanked Walker’s leg after a play last week.
Clark was not flagged or fined.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 4, 2025
Pelissero noted that Clark did not receive a fine for his involvement in the controversial play.
The $11,593 fine accounts for less than one percent of Walker's annual salary. The Michigan State alum is raking in $1,856,125 in the final year of his rookie contract, according to Spotrac.
Walker took exception to the tackle, but he was otherwise unaffected. The fourth-year running back took a season-high 19 carries for 81 rushing yards in the game, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. Walker added 29 receiving yards in the game to top 100 scrimmage yards.
Kenneth Walker looks to shake off fine in Seahawks' Week 5
Walker entered the season in a precarious position in Seattle's backfield. Although he began the year as the Seahawks' starting running back, there were questions about his status atop the depth chart with Zach Charbonnet breathing down his neck.
Charbonnet, who was the more efficient player in 2024, led the team with 47 rushing yards in Week 1. However, since then, it has been all Walker in the backfield. Walker has 224 rushing yards from Week 2 to Week 4, while Charbonnet has just 49 in the same frame.
After facing a difficult Cardinals defense, Walker leads the Seahawks' rushing attack into another stiff test against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tampa Bay has allowed just 85 rushing yards per game through the first four games, the fifth-fewest in the league.
The Seahawks have the second-highest run rate through the first month of the year. With DeMarcus Lawrence, Devon Witherspoon and Julian Love already ruled out for the contest, expect the Seahawks to continue leaning on their run game to burn the clock as much as possible.
