Seahawks free-agent prediction sees $36 million playoff hero leave Seattle for Texans

With the 2025 season now in the rearview mirror, the Seattle Seahawks have a big decision to make with running back Kenneth Walker.

The Super Bowl MVP is a pending free agent and is sure to draw plenty of interest on the open market, which should lead to a healthy payday for the former second-round pick. Walker's playoff heroics should help, too.

While there's a very good chance he returns to Seattle given the Seahawks have a boatload of cap space, FanSided's Chris Landers predicts Walker will instead land with the Houston Texans in free agency.

"Injuries have been a problem in the past, but his ability to stay healthy this season and display his usual combination of explosiveness, patience and contact balance will put him right behind Breece Hall among free agent running backs this offseason. He'd look particularly good for a Texans offense that could desperately use some more juice in the ground game," Landers wrote.

Assuming Walker doesn't return to Seattle, which we believe is the most likely outcome, the Texans makes sense as a landing spot.

Houston is unlikely to bring Joe Mixon back after he missed all of last season with what is still a mysterious foot injury, and the Texans will be left with Woody Marks and Jawhar Jordan, so the team needs a veteran option in the running backs room.

Not only would Walker provide that, he would also add an explosive element to the Texans' backfield and his ability to take games over would take a ton of pressure off C.J. Stroud, who doesn't need any more on his shoulders.

According to Spotrac, Walker is projected to land a four-year, $36 million deal in free agency.

The Texans don't have a great cap space situation, with the team projected to be $1.4 million over the cap, but with running back being such a high priority, we could see Houston shelling out the cash for Walker.

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