Kenneth Walker was a big reason for Seattle's win, and now he might be the beneficiary of a huge payday in the offseason.
The playoffs are often where the reputation of a player can be enhanced, or it can be where a nasty narrative can begin, but for Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker, he's on the positive side of the ledger.
Seattle's 41-6 win over the San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field in the divisional round of the playoffs was about as good as fans could have hoped for.
And Walker made a statement.
From 19 carries, Kenneth rumbled for 116 yards and three TDs while averaging 6.1 yards per carry.
Reputation enhanced.
With the Seahawks in the NFC Championship game, Walker was a big reason why.
And what's better? It was Walker's highest yards total for the year. So when the lights got bright, Kenneth looked right at home.
So, the win sees Seattle move on, but it also gave the Seahawks' front office something to think about regarding Walker -- his contract.
Set to be a free agent at the end of the season, after having his best output since his rookie year in 2022, this will be an interesting storyline to follow once Seattle's playoff run ends.
Of course, in an ideal world, Walker would return to Seattle next season, but if he keeps producing as he did against the 49ers, he might just price himself out of a return to Seattle.
Forming a nice tandem with Zach Charbonnet, the Seahawks have a dynamic one-two punch that will power their playoff hopes.
For Walker, spotrac.com has his calculated market value set at $8.4 million APY.
Is that feasible for general manager John Schneider? I'd say so.
And if Walker keeps putting up the sorts of performances as he did against San Francisco and helps lead Seattle to a Super Bowl win, he could be set for a monster payday in the offseason.
Clearly, for a player the franchise wants to keep around in 2026, money is going to be a factor.
Plus, with Charbonnet now showing he is more than capable of being the leading guy with games of 17 and 18 rushing attempts in his back pocket, an interesting storyline awaits us this offseason.
Do the Seahawks pay Walker nearly $10 million APY and try to keep this thing under Mike Macdonald?
Or will the franchise promote Charbonnet and allow Walker to test the free agent market?
It seems like an easy decision for the front office, and who knows, if Walker becomes a Super Bowl champion, it might make it that much harder to keep him around.