As all Seattle Seahawks fans know, the team just wona Super Bowl. The celebration of which will not stop until next season begins. It is a great time to be a 12. It is also a great time to be one of the many free agents Seattle has.
Nothing says "Pay me" quite like winning a title, especially if the player happens to be an important part of that run. Running back Kenneth Walker III certainly was this season. He played in all 17 games for the first time in his career, sure, but he was also at his best when the games mattered most. His Super Bowl MVP trophy can attest to that.
For the first time, Walker is entering free agency, and he is doing so at the best time he ever could. Seattle would surely like to retain him, especially since backup Zach Charbonnet tore his ACL in the playoffs and might not be able to return fully healthy by the start of next year. Walker has never been needed more by the Seahawks.
Seattle Seahawks not expected to place the franchise tag on Kenneth Walker III
But general manager John Schneider is not going to place the franchise tag on Walker in order to make him stay in Seattle, according to ESPN. This shouldn't be shocking. In Schneider's 16 years with the team, he has only applied the franchise tag to two players.
One was kicker Olindo Mare early in the GM's tenure. The other was edge rusher Frank Clark, but even Clark's tag had a catch. Seattle had worked out a sign-and-trade deal with the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2019 offseason. Giving Clark the tag made sure that the trade went through.
The hope is that Kenneth Walker isn't going anywhere, of course. The franchise tag for running backs this offseason is $14.5 million. While Walker is an excellent player, he might not garner that much money per season in free agency. Schneider might simply see how the market plays out, and if Walker does leave, the Seahawks will have a backup plan in place.
John Schneider also doesn't like placing the tag on players for another reason: He wants to treat them as human beings, and he understands players play football to get paid. While the Seattle Seahawks might not be comfortable giving Walker $15 million a season or more, some team might. This is part of what makes the franchise great. Seattle treats all employees for what they are: People.