Top Landing Spots for Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III in 2026 NFL Free Agency

The 2026 free-agent running back class is already getting whittled down before free agency even begins. Javonte Williams signed a three-year, $24 million extension with the Dallas Cowboys, while the New York Jets used the franchise tag on Breece Hall.

That could be good news for Kenneth Walker III, the newly crowned Super Bowl LX MVP.

In his fourth season, Walker racked up a career-high 1,309 yards from scrimmage and scored five touchdowns. He eclipsed 110 scrimmage yards in five of his last six outings, including 164 total yards in a comeback overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 16, 145 scrimmage yards in a three-touchdown performance against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC divisional round and 161 total yards in the Super Bowl.

In anticipation of a busy offseason, Walker switched agents, joining the Aura Sports Group after his hat trick against the 49ers. The Seahawks do not plan to franchise-tag him, according to ESPN's Peter Schrager, so he is set to become a free agent.

The Seahawks could make things simple for Walker by re-signing him, but he appears poised to gauge his market value and compare it to Seattle's offers. According to ESPN's Dan Graziano, it "sounds like he's generating enough outside interest to spell the end of his time in Seattle."

Let's go through the top potential landing spots for Walker, who's now an accomplished 25-year-old Super Bowl winner with a pair of 1,000-plus-yard rushing seasons on his resume.

Carolina Panthers

AP Photo

Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard

The Carolina Panthers' motto is "Keep Pounding," but they didn't do enough of that in the second half of the 2025 season. 

The Panthers ran for 110 or more yards in eight of their first nine games, going 5-4 in that stretch. In its last nine contests, which include a playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Carolina eclipsed 100 rushing yards just three times and went 3-6. It lost five of its last seven matchups. 

Rico Dowdle led the Panthers in rushing with 1,076 yards while averaging 4.6 yards per carry. They could lose him in free agency, which would be a significant blow to their ground attack. 

Chuba Hubbard regressed after signing a four-year, $33.2 million extension during the 2024 season. He finished the 2025 campaign with 511 rushing yards and a touchdown on a 3.8-yards-per-carry average. The 26-year-old isn't an explosive playmaker in the short passing game, either. Carolina shouldn't trust him to handle the majority of the rushing workload.

Walker can provide what Dowdle brought to the Panthers' ground game with strong ball security. He's only fumbled three times in his career and didn't lose any of them.

Denver Broncos

AP Photo/Jack Dempsey

Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey

In Week 10 of the 2025 campaign, the Denver Broncos lost running back J.K. Dobbins to a season-ending foot injury. The 27-year-old has yet to play through a full NFL season.

Because of his history of knee and foot injuries, Denver might decide not to re-sign him. Instead, it might hope to land a more reliable ball-carrier to pair with RJ Harvey.

Harvey didn't show enough on the ground as a rookie to make a case for the lead position in 2026. Although he logged double-digit rush attempts in eight games, the 2025 second-rounder averaged less than 3.5 yards per carry in six of those contests. 

While Harvey may be better suited for a complementary role with pass-catching responsibilities, Walker can handle designed runs between the tackles on early downs.

The Broncos don't have a high-octane aerial attack, so they need to balance their offense with a productive ground game that features a lead running back, much like Seattle just did. Walker checks that box. 

Kansas City Chiefs

AP Photo/Gary McCullough

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco

This offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs must clear cap space to gain more flexibility in reshaping their roster. They're currently projected to be about $55 million over the cap limit, but they could restructure Patrick Mahomes' and Chris Jones' deals to create $66.8 million in cap space, per Over the Cap. In addition, Kansas City can cut right tackle Jawaan Taylor to save $20 million.

With those contractual moves, the Chiefs could offer Walker a competitive deal on the open market.  

According to ESPN's Nate Taylor, the Chiefs will look for a new lead rusher with Eric Bieniemy set to return as offensive coordinator.

"Bieniemy will be tasked with putting together the correct run-blocking scheme for the Chiefs, who are expected to have a new starting running back for the 2026 season," Taylor wrote.

In each of the last four seasons, Isiah Pacheco or Kareem Hunt has led the Chiefs' ground attack. Neither eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards in those years. Kansas City hasn't had a 1,000-plus-yard rusher since Hunt won the rushing title with 1,327 yards in his 2017 rookie campaign. 

With quarterback Patrick Mahomes coming off a torn ACL and his early-season availability for 2026 uncertain, Kansas City could swing big for Walker as part of a plan to rely more on its run game than in recent seasons.

Seattle Seahawks

AP Photo

Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet

The Seattle Seahawks will likely make an attempt to re-sign Walker. Both sides have already talked about the possibility.

General manager John Schneider noted Walker's run style and recent productivity as reasons why he'd like to sign him to an extension.

"Ken has been awesome," Schneider said to reporters. "Explosive. I would say maybe a little bit more decisive the last month and a half. He's a free agent. We'd love to have him back."

Walker doesn't want a change of scenery.

"I've been here four years, so you know I've gotten to know a lot of stuff about Seattle, and you know a lot of the city, and I feel like they feel good about me as well," Walker said. "So if it was my choice, though, I'd definitely stay."

Because Walker is set to be one of the top running backs on the open market, his return to Seattle will likely come down to his asking price and what Seattle is willing to pay him. Spotrac projects his market value at around $8.4 million annually, which isn't a steep price for a No. 1 running back.

Regardless of the price, the Seahawks should consider their potential need at the position. Zach Charbonnet tore his ACL in January, while Kenny McIntosh is their only other running back under contract in 2026.

With a projected $73.3 million in cap space, Seattle has the financial bandwidth to retain Walker before his contract expires in March.

Washington Commanders

AP Photo/Nick Wass

Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Last offseason, Jacory Croskey-Merritt turned heads during spring and summer workouts. As a result, last August, the Washington Commanders traded Brian Robinson Jr. to the San Francisco 49ers, which opened up a pathway for Croskey-Merritt to take on the lion's share of touches out of the backfield.

Croskey-Merritt flashed in spots, including when he ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 5. However, he shared carries with Chris Rodriguez Jr., who outpaced him in rush attempts in four of the last five games they played together. 

Rodriguez will be a restricted free agent in March. Croskey-Merritt's inability to run away with the lead role and his limited production in the passing game (nine receptions for 68 yards) could indicate that he's more of a committee tailback than a lead three-down workhorse.

Furthermore, Washington hired first-time offensive coordinator David Blough, who may have a different vision for the rushing attack. Croskey-Merritt and Rodriguez aren't guaranteed to split the majority of touches again. 

The Commanders have bigger needs than running back, but with $76 million in cap space, don't rule out an addition for their backfield. Walker would be an upgrade over Rodriguez and a versatile playmaker to replace Austin Ekeler, who's recovering from a torn Achilles and set to become a free agent before his age-31 season.

Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.