Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker is the big-ticket item this offseason, but what will it cost to keep the Super Bowl MVP?
The Seattle Seahawks are NFL champions, and with that title comes a huge bullseye on your back.
To withstand that, the Seahawks have to stay ahead of the curve and improve the roster to maintain their advantage over the competition.
Of course, that's easier said than done, and when it comes to star players who are entering free agency, it can get tricky.
Free agency evaluations are already tough, money-wise, with teams overpaying at an alarming rate, but when some of your key pillars are the ones set to test the market, it can become a losing battle to keep them.
And suddenly, the NFL's apex predator is no longer.
In Seattle's case, there are a handful of quality players set to test free agency, with Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker being the main player everyone is attracted to.
We had written for weeks that with each stellar playoff performance, Walker might be pricing himself out of staying a Seahawk, and that feels real now.
And for CBS Sports' Pete Prisco, in his top 100 free agents, he has Walker at No. 18, but with a very pointed question for the Seahawks' front office.
"He split time during the regular season, but in the postseason he took over as the lead back when Zach Charbonnet went down and showed he was more than capable, winning Super Bowl MVP," Prisco wrote.
"At 25, he is the right age in terms of free agent backs. But what's the cost? Is it more than $10 million per season?"
You can make the case that Walker's starting price will be $10 million, and you can expect it only go up from there.
Is he worth $12 million APY? The same as Buffalo Bills running back James Cook?
Ultimately, Walker's market will be whatever a team wants to pay him. It could even be $15 million for all we know, and the Seahawks aren't likely to pay that.
So, where the two land on a proposed new deal will be an interesting thread to follow, but if the Seahawks were hoping to get Walker on a discounted rate, his playoff performance shut the door on that.
Not often can players write their own offer, but in Walker's case, whatever he's asking for (within reason), he has a real chance of getting.
But what will Seattle's price be?