Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker returns to Seattle to face his former team
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The gist
Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker, the NFL's rushing leader, faces his former team Seattle on Sunday night.
Seattle let the Super Bowl MVP leave and now must stop him.
Background
Kenneth Walker III is a running back who won Super Bowl LX MVP with the Seattle Seahawks and then left in free agency for a three-year, $43.05 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. Through six weeks he leads the NFL with 665 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 106 carries. He spent four seasons in Seattle as a former second-round pick, and the Seahawks' rushing attack has since ranked 18th in the league at 107.2 yards per game and 3.9 yards per carry. The Chiefs are 5-0 and set to visit Seattle at Lumen Field.
How it unfolded
- 2026 -01Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet tore his ACL in the divisional playoffs.
- 2026 -03In the opening hour of the NFL's legal tampering period, reports surfaced that Walker had agreed to join Kansas City.
- Oct 1, 2026Charbonnet returned to practice.
- Oct 4, 2026Walker scored a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders.
- Oct 18, 2026Walker ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns in the Chiefs' 22-6 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, moving Kansas City to 5-0.
- Oct 19, 2026Walker stood at 665 rushing yards and 760 yards from scrimmage, on pace to break NFL single-season records in both.
- Oct 21, 2026The Athletic's Michael-Shawn Dugar reported the Seahawks made no contract offer to Walker before free agency.
- Oct 22, 2026Walker's Chiefs (5-0) were set to visit his former team, the Seahawks (3-3), on Sunday night at Lumen Field.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Walker is "wired to do it" and plays at one speed: "He's coming at you."
- Caution
- Seahawks safety Julian Love said containing Walker is "an all-hands-on-deck effort," noting he has picked up where he left off last season.
- Support
- Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said Walker is off to a tremendous start and "playing great football," with the stats and tape backing it up.
- Party
- Seahawks running back George Holani said the team is watching and supporting Walker, "but when he plays us, it's a different story."
- Analysts
- NFL.com's Grant Gordon predicted in a projection that Seattle will hold Walker under 70 rushing yards and hand Kansas City its first loss.
Still unverified
The report that Seattle made no contract offer to Walker before free agency came from league sources not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. Charbonnet's return timetable is unclear; Macdonald said he could debut against the Chiefs.