Kenneth Walker III (Getty Images)
Kenneth Walker III goes back to Lumen Field on Sunday, October 25, and this time he arrives in a Chiefs jersey. Kansas City visits Seattle for Sunday Night Football as the AFC’s only unbeaten team at 5-0. Walker leads the NFL with 665 rushing yards, about eight months after he won Super Bowl MVP with the Seahawks and left in free agency. His three-year deal with the Chiefs is worth up to $45 million. The Seahawks sit at 3-3 and open as 1.5-point favorites. The contract is a three-year deal worth up to $45 million, with $28.7 million guaranteed. Last season he made a base salary of $1.8 million, so the jump is steep. He has 665 yards on 106 carries, a 6.3 average, and eight touchdowns, six rushing and two receiving. He opened with 173 yards against Denver and hit a career-high 177 at Las Vegas. Last year the Chiefs ran for 106.6 yards a game, a bottom-10 mark, and finished 6-11. Walker alone averages 133 yards a game, more than the entire Chiefs rushing attack managed last year. ESPN notes he has missed at least two games in three of his four seasons, and an ankle injury ended his 2024 year. Through six games, the Seahawks’ running backs have 539 rushing yards combined. Walker has 665 in five. Seattle is 3-3 and coming off a sloppy Thursday night loss to Denver, its second straight defeat. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines Kansas City opened as a 1.5-point underdog, the first time this season the Chiefs were not favored. He turns 26 on Tuesday, five days before kickoff. Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news , check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule .
“He knows how to run the ball and knows how to set up runs,” the Chiefs coach said after the Chargers win. The reunion is as much about money as football. Right now, the answer looks like yes, with one big condition. That guarantee is the real commitment, and it only pays off if Walker stays on the field. So far he has. The NFL named him AFC Offensive Player of the Month for September. Here is the number that explains the signing. The risk is durability. Five games prove talent. They do not yet prove a three-year bet. Seattle chose to move on and filled the job with rookie Jadarian Price and veteran Emanuel Wilson. Former defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko was blunt. He asked why Seattle did not pay Walker, then answered his own question: “They have no run game. Absolutely zero. That is a loud take, and it skips some context. Andy Reid has a simple explanation for Walker’s success. Walker has not criticized Seattle in public. He also knows many of the players across from him, and they know him. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.
The Seahawks do get extra rest, and their run defense ranked third in the league last year.