Kenneth Walker Knew He Was Leaving, and Honestly, So Did Fans

Kenneth Walker III recently revealed that he knew early last season that his time in Seattle was likely over.

Good for him for being honest about it, but if you were paying close attention as a fan over the last few years, you knew too.

I called it before the 2025 season started. Here’s why it was never a surprise.

The Injury Pattern Told the Story

Look at Walker’s career in Seattle, and the injury timeline is hard to ignore. In 2022, he suffered a pedal ankle sprain in Week 13. Going into 2023, he missed over two weeks of practice with a Grade 1 groin pull, then went down again in Week 11 with an abdominal muscle sprain, missing two more games.

Then 2024 happened. He missed two games with an oblique injury, then a calf injury took him out for Weeks 14 and 15, before an ankle injury in Week 16 finally sent him to injured reserve, ending his season after just 11 games and 573 yards.

Four seasons. Never once fully healthy from start to finish until 2025. To a lot of fans watching closely, it looked like a back who was protecting something, saving himself, never quite running with the full abandon you need to justify a big contract.

The Contract Year Flip Seems to be Real

Then 2025 arrived, and suddenly Walker looked different. He started all 17 games for the first time in his career, finishing with 1,027 rushing yards and then absolutely erupting in the postseason, 313 yards and four touchdowns across three playoff games, including 135 yards and a Super Bowl MVP performance against New England.

That was a contract year. That was a man running like he had something to prove. And it worked; he got his money in Kansas City.

Seattle Made the Right Call Letting Him Walk

The Seahawks didn’t franchise tag him. They drafted Jadarian Price instead. Given the injury history and the pattern of what we watched for four years, that is the right decision. Walker is talented. He’s also 25 with a lower body that has been fragile since day one in the NFL.

Seattle got the best version of him when it mattered most. Then they moved on. That’s smart roster building.

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