The Seattle Seahawks have a decision to make with Kenneth Walker III. On the one hand, he’s the reigning Super Bowl MVP, a homegrown talent, and their most important offensive player testing free agency. On the other hand, he might be a little too pricey.
Money shouldn’t be an issue for a Seahawks team that will have $61.8 million in available cap space, according to Over The Cap. They could even afford to re-sign him and absorb Maxx Crosby’s contract if that were to be the case.
Then again, as good as Walker has been for the Seahawks, especially lately, there might be some recency bias. That’s why GM John Schneider could add even more firepower to the roster with Breece Hall, the top running back entering free agency.
The Seattle Seahawks should make a run at Breece Hall
According to Spotrac, Kenneth Walker III has a market value of $9 million, with his next deal projected at four years and $36 million. That’s nearly identical to what Breece Hall will probably get. He’s projected to get $41 million over four years, with an average annual value of $10.4 million.
Walker is a more explosive, change-of-pace type of running back, but Hall is the superior talent as an every-down workhorse. He has yet to play in a competent offense, yet he’s averaged 4.5 yards per carry in his career.
Hall is the better pass-catching running back as well. Through four seasons, he’s hauled in 188 receptions for 1,642 yards and nine receiving touchdowns, and that’s despite playing just seven games as a rookie. Walker, on the other hand, has 133 receptions for 1,005 yards and just two receiving touchdowns.
Of course, one could also make an argument for Walker’s numbers being affected by Zach Charbonnet’s presence and the Seahawks’ running back-by-committee approach. That said, Hall has played in an offense that’s finished 29th three times and 24th once since he entered the league.
Despite the negative game script, the Jets continue to rely heavily on him because he’s often been their best -- and only shot -- at keeping the chains in motion.
Kenneth Walker’s Super Bowl heroics might get him paid a lot of money somewhere else. Someone might even want to pay him more than his projected market value. Should that be the case, there’s no reason not to go after a slight upgrade by turning to the AFC East and getting Hall instead.