SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Kenneth Walker III capitalized on his timely stint as an unquestioned RB1.
After his tandem backfield partner Zack Charbonnet suffered a season-ending torn ACL during the Divisional Round playoffs, Walker showed that he is more than capable of carrying the load all by himself for the Seahawks as he heads into free agency with a higher price tag and a Super Bowl 2026 ring.
Walker rushed for 135 yards on 27 carries and gained another 26 through air during a 29-13 victory against the Patriots on Sunday.
He lost a 49-yard touchdown run to an offensive holding penalty, though he nonetheless came away with Super Bowl MVP honors.
During the regular season, Walker out-carried Charbonnet, 221-184, but Charbonnet was the pay-dirt finisher (12 touchdowns), as all fantasy football managers know.
But, without Charbonnet, Walker rushed for 116 yards and three touchdowns against the 49ers, 62 yards and a touchdown against the Rams and stepped up as the primary weapon for an offense that played part of the Super Bowl without star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Walker’s three highest single-game touches totals were the final three games of the season.
Walker was a second-round pick in 2022 who had a career-high 255 touches as a rookie.
One year later, the Seahawks still drafted Charbonnet in the second round to set up a three-year partnership in the era when backfield duos have replaced workhorses except in a couple of noteworthy situations.
Now the Seahawks face a post-celebration decision: pay Walker the increasing going rate for a free-agent running back, franchise tag him for slightly north of $14 million in 2026 or let him walk and trust Charbonnet to recover well enough to be a lead back.
Walker carried four times for 41 yards on the Seahawks’ second scoring drive and had a third-and-3 catch on the next drive.
While that possession didn’t result in points, it moved the chains and allowed the Seahawks to cross midfield and drop a punt at the 2-yard line.
Walker became the eighth 100-yard rusher in a Super Bowl this century, joining a not-fully-esteemed list of Jamaal Lewis (Ravens), Michael Pittman (Buccaneers), Dominic Rhodes (Colts), Thomas Jones (Bears), Marshawn Lynch (Seahawks), Frank Gore (49ers) and Damien Williams (Chiefs).
None of those running backs were Super Bowl MVPs — the award last going to a running back in 1999 (Terrell Davis).
Walker’s 100 yards from scrimmage in the first half were more than twice as many as anyone else on either team.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
