In the regular season, Walker totaled 221 rushing attempts for 1,027 yards and five touchdowns across 17 games, per StatMuse. He elevated his profile in the playoffs with 65 carries for 313 yards and four touchdowns in three games, contributing to Seattle’s run to the Super Bowl trophy.
ESPN insider Dan Graziano framed the decision as a balance of Walker’s own contract desires and Seattle’s roster-building philosophy. At 25 and coming off a monster Super Bowl performance, Walker could attract top-market offers, but the Seahawks may be reluctant to engage in a bidding war or pay a running back as one of the highest earners in the league.
CBS Sports’ John Breech has urged Seattle not to franchise tag Walker, arguing that a tag could exceed $14 million and run counter to the franchise’s spend-and-build approach. Breech believes Seattle would prefer to allocate resources elsewhere rather than lock in a top-five RB salary, especially given the team’s broader free-agent and extension priorities.
Seattle enters the offseason with substantial cap space—sixth-most, per Over the Cap—but also a crowded docket of pending free agents and extensions. The Seahawks are known for their running back-by-committee approach, and Breech notes the Zach Charbonnet injury adds uncertainty about Week 1 readiness, making a large single-player commitment even less likely.
Beyond Walker, Seattle’s immediate priorities include several extension-eligible players and young talents such as Devon Witherspoon and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, along with players like Coby Bryant, Rashid Shaheed, and Riq Woolen. Those factors, together with Walker’s market, will shape how aggressively Seattle pursues a new deal or decides to let him test the open market.
Ultimately, Walker’s value and the Seahawks’ willingness to invest will drive the team’s offseason narrative. If the market dictates a top-tier RB price, Seattle may opt to move on; if not, a re-signing could still be plausible within the club’s established cap framework and roster strategy. The coming weeks will reveal how Seattle negotiates around a player who emerged as a pivotal figure in their Super Bowl run.
