Chiefs Will Face Team That Let Walker Walk On Sunday

The Kansas City Chiefs signed running back Kenneth Walker III to a big contract in free agency, and Walker has become the engine that makes their offense go. Now they’ll face the team that had Walker but let him get away, as the Chiefs will travel to play the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night. 

So how did Walker get away? Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic did an exploration of this in a recent piece, and it contained some remarkable details. 

Start with the Super Bowl trophy presentation at Lumen Field back in January, according to Dugar. Seattle GM John Schneider tried to make a joke about negotiating with Walker, saying “it was weird,” but the joke was the proverbial lead balloon. 

Walker later posted on his Instagram account that he never said anything like that, and Schneider referred to what he did as “a panic moment.”

Turns out there was good reason to panic. Not only is Walker starring for the Chiefs so far, but the Seahawks efforts to win without Walker and a viable running game have been close to pathetic.

The team’s road game against the Denver Broncos last Thursday was a case in point. Seattle couldn’t run the ball at all, and they couldn’t protect quarterback Sam Darnold. The result was two late interceptions that cost the Seahawks a win, and that wasn’t the first time this sort of thing has happened to Seattle. 

Walker basically priced himself out of the market in Seattle, according to the sources Dugar used, but the running back is now in the conversation as a possible MVP. Walker has grown from an inconsistent player to a “grinder,” to use his word for it, and he’s making plays for the Chiefs by breaking off runs on his own. 

The running back knew he was gone by May, per Dugar, but money wasn’t the only reason he left. Walker wanted to feel wanted, and the Chiefs are certainly on board with that part of his demands. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is constantly complimenting Walker, and the running back’s playmaking has changed the Chiefs offense. 

Sunday’s game has been labeled the Ken Walker Bowl by some, and it certainly does look like a litmus test for both teams. The Chiefs are 5-0 and look to have rebounded completely from last year’s 6-11 debacle, while the Seahawks are 3-3 and trying to find their way. All eyes will be on Walker in this game, and that’s as it should be.