Seahawks expected to replace Kenneth Walker with $13M running back originally appeared on The Sporting News. Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
Once the Seattle Seahawks’ season is over, the team will turn its attention to the offseason.
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One of the Seahawks’ first priorities is what to do with running back Kenneth Walker, who is a pending free agent for the first time in his career.
Walker is a tough guy to wrap your head around from a free agent perspective, even after an impressive 2025 campaign.
We know Walker is extremely talented, but he’s never had a great season, and injuries have been an issue throughout his career.
Therefore, his situation is unclear, especially when trying to figure out how much he will command and how interested the Seahawks are in bringing him back.
If Walker doesn’t return to the Seahawks in 2026, Yardbarker’s Seth Trachtman predicts Seattle will replace him with Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne.
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“Etienne had a great walking season in Jacksonville with 1,399 yards from scrimmage and 13 touchdowns,” he said. “With Kenneth Walker headed for free agency himself and Zach Charbonnet suffering a serious knee injury in the playoffs, Etienne could be a viable free agent replacement.”
Etienne has had a better career so far than Walker. He outperformed Seahawks running backs every season, had one more 1,000-yard season, and was able to stay healthy, missing just two games in four seasons.
Spotrac expects Walker to receive a four-year, $33.5 million contract, which equates to $8.4 million per year. Meanwhile, the outlet estimates Etienne’s contract is worth $13.6 million over two years, or $6.8 million per year.
We just don’t think things will change that way, though. Instead, we expect both running backs to be similarly priced, with Etienne deserving of more due to his stellar history of production and availability.
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Money isn’t an issue for the Seahawks, who have plenty of cap space, but that doesn’t mean they’ll overpay for Walker if his price gets out of hand.
There’s also the possibility that Walker might be reluctant to return to Seattle after having to share the backcourt duties, and he might choose to sign with a team that can provide him with a true starting role.
If either of those two scenarios happens and the Seahawks go in a different direction, we could see Seattle bring in Etienne in free agency.
