Seahawks predicted to replace Kenneth Walker with $13 million running back

Once the Seattle Seahawks' season ends, the team will turn its attention to the offseason.

One of the top priorities for the Seahawks is what to do with running back Kenneth Walker, who is a pending free agent for the first time in his career.

Walker is a tough one to figure out from a free-agent standpoint, even after an impressive 2025 campaign.

We know Walker is immensely talented, but he has also never posted elite production and injuries have been an issue for him during his career.

As a result, his situation is murky, especially when trying to figure out how much he'll command and how much interest the Seahawks have in bringing him back.

If Walker doesn't return to the Seahawks in 2026, Yardbarker's Seth Trachtman predicts Seattle will replace him with Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne.

"Etienne did well for himself in his walk year with Jacksonville, with 1,399 yards from scrimmage and 13 touchdowns," he said. "With Kenneth Walker heading toward free agency himself and Zach Charbonnet suffering a major knee injury in the playoffs, Etienne could be a viable free agent replacement."

Etienne has had a better career than Walker up until this point. He has outproduced the Seahawks running back in each season, has one more 1,000-yard season and he has been able to stay healthy, missing just two games over four campaigns.

Spotrac projects Walker will receive a four-year, $33.5 million deal, which works out to $8.4 million annually. Meanwhile, the outlet estimates Etienne for a two-year, $13.6 million deal, which is $6.8 million per year.

We just don't see things shaking out that way, though. Instead, we envision the two running backs commanding similar prices, and Etienne should get more given his superior history of production and availability.

Money is not an issue for the Seahawks, who are loaded with cap space, but that doesn't mean they're going to overpay for Walker if his price gets out of hand.

There is also a scenario where Walker may not be too keen on going back to Seattle after having to split work in the backfield and could opt to sign with a team that offers him a true workhorse role.

If either of those situations play out and the Seahawks go in a different direction, we could see Seattle springing for Etienne in free agency.

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