Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III to hit free agency

The Seattle Seahawks will not apply the franchise tag on running back Kenneth Walker III, making the Super Bowl LX MVP an unrestricted free agent when the new NFL league year begins next week.

Walker will now hit the open market, while fellow running back Breece Hall received the franchise tag from the New York Jets earlier in the day. Hall and the Jets have until July 15 to negotiate a long-term contract, or he will earn $14.293 million in 2026.

If Walker signs with a new team, he would become just the fourth player in NFL history to win Super Bowl MVP and start the following season with a different team. The others are Larry Brown (SB XXX), Desmond Howard (SB XXXI), and Dexter Jackson (SB XXXVII).

The deadline for teams to place a franchise tag on a player was Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.

Walker, 25, rushed for 135 yards in Seattle’s 29-13 Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots on Feb. 8. The 2022 second-round pick has completed his four-year rookie contract, which paid him a total of $8.4 million.

During the 2025 regular season, Walker rushed for 1,027 yards and five touchdowns. He added 313 yards and four scores over three playoff games, taking over the majority of carries after teammate Zach Charbonnet suffered a season-ending knee injury in a divisional-round win over San Francisco.

Over four seasons with the Seahawks, Walker has accumulated 3,555 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns, along with 133 receptions for 1,005 yards and two touchdowns in 58 regular-season games, including 54 starts.

-Field Level Media/Reuters