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Report: Seahawks unlikely to use franchise tag on Walker

If the Seattle Seahawks are going to bring back Super Bowl MVP and impending free agent Kenneth Walker III, it likely won’t be with a franchise tag, according to a report Tuesday morning.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on social media the Seahawks are unlikely to use the franchise tag on their running back. He also said the team has multiple free agents it wants to re-sign, and it will try to sign standout wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba to contract extension before the final year of his rookie deal in 2026.

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Schefter said Super Bowl tax costs for the Seahawks make using the franchise tag this offseason unlikely. The window for teams to use the franchise tag began Tuesday and is open until 1 p.m. on March 3.

The projected price of the franchise tag for a running back next season is $14.5 million, according to OverTheCap.com.

The Seahawks have used the franchise tag just twice under general manager John Schneider. They used it on kicker Olindo Mare in 2010 and defensive end Frank Clark in 2019.

Walker, a second-round pick in 2022, didn’t miss a game this season for the first time in his four-year pro career. He rushed for 1,027 yards and five touchdowns and added 282 yards on 31 receptions in 17 games during the regular season while splitting backfield duties with Zach Charbonnet, who tore his ACL in the NFC Divisional Round and missed the Seahawks’ final two playoff games.

In three playoff games, Walker racked up 313 yards and four TDs on the ground while adding 104 yards on nine receptions. His efforts included 161 total yards on 29 touches during his MVP performance in Seattle’s 29-13 Super Bowl LX victory over the New England Patriots. Walker was the first running back to win the award since Denver’s Terrell Davis in Super Bowl XXXII after the 1997 season.