It’s been a month since the Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX. As confetti continued to rain down on the field, Kenneth Walker III won the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award for his great performance. Walker finished with 161 total yards, including several grueling first-down runs as the Seahawks worked to run out the clock.
Despite that jubilation, Walker will not be with the Seahawks next season. Instead, he just agreed to a contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Walker’s new contract is worth $43.05 million over three seasons. Includes $28.7 million in guaranteed money.
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During his first four seasons in the NFL, Walker earned around $8.44 million. This new deal gives him a big raise. Guaranteed money is also important, as running backs typically face shorter careers and a higher risk of injury than most other positions.
In fact, Walker was viewed as a potential injury problem in 2024. He missed six games that year and suffered a combination of ankle, calf and oblique injuries.
Ahead of the 2025 season, Walker made changes to his eating and sleeping routines, becoming healthier in both areas. That renewed focus carried over to the field. He didn’t miss a single game or practice once the season started.
His perseverance led him to impressive results. For much of the season, Walker shared time in the backfield with Zach Charbonnet. Even so, Walker still racked up 1,309 yards from scrimmage on 4.6 yards per carry, both career highs.
He also continued to improve as the season progressed, running harder and gaining more yards per carry than he did earlier in the season. When Charbonnet tore his ACL in the divisional round, Walker stepped into the leadership role and didn’t miss a beat. He finished with 116 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the Seahawks’ 41-6 victory over the 49ers.
Charbonnet should once again be the No. 1 in Seattle, while Walker will move into a starting role in Kansas City. The Chiefs had a lot of problems last season (the first time they didn’t make the playoffs since 2014), although running back was chief among them. Walker’s explosiveness and ability to make tacklers miss will be a welcome addition and can take some pressure off of quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
In the span of a month, Walker won the MVP award in the biggest game of his life and earned the biggest payday he had ever seen. What a great story.