As expected, the Seahawks will not place a franchise or transition tag on running back Kenneth Walker III by Tuesday’s 1 p.m. deadline, according to multiple reports.
The most definitive came from Peter Schrager of ESPN, who stated simply that the Seahawks “will not” place the tag on Walker.
That means Walker, who won Super Bowl MVP honors when the Seahawks beat the Patriots 29-13 on Feb. 8, will likely become an unrestricted free agent next week, able to begin negotiating with other teams on Monday morning and to sign with another team on Wednesday afternoon.
Walker can still talk to the Seahawks and can sign a contract with them at any time. But Tuesday’s news makes it likely that Walker will hit the open market next week.
The move is not a surprise as it was reported when the window opened to tag players on Feb. 17 that Walker was unlikely to get one.
The Seahawks have rarely used the tag and NFL teams in general haven’t used it much through the years.
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Only three had been used as of Tuesday morning for this year, the latest occurring earlier in the day when the Jets placed one on running back Breece Hall.
If the Seahawks had placed a franchise tag on Walker it would have guaranteed him a salary of $14.293 million for the 2026 season, all of which would have gone against the salary cap. A transition tag would have meant a guaranteed salary of $11.323 million, also all going on the cap for 2026.
Both tags give teams a right of first refusal to match any offer a player might receive and depending on the tag the ability to get compensated if the player signs elsewhere.
Tags are not often used because neither side really likes them. The teams don’t like the cap hit and each side would rather get a long-term deal done. The Seahawks have used the tag just twice since general manager John Schneider arrived in 2010.
Teams can use only one tag a year.
Teams can continue to negotiate with players who are tagged until July 15 on a long-term deal and they are often used for that reason — as something of a stalling tactic.
The Seahawks are obviously hoping to simply get a deal done with Walker without using the cap as a tool along the way.
If Walker signs elsewhere, as ESPN has noted, he would become only the fourth reigning Super Bowl MVP not to return to his team the following season.
The others were Tampa Bay safety Dexter Jackson (XXXVII), Green Bay Packers wide receiver/kick returner Desmond Howard (XXXI) and Dallas Cowboys cornerback Larry Brown (XXX).
This story will be updated.
Bob Condotta: bcondotta@seattletimes.com. Bob Condotta is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times who primarily covers the Seahawks but also dabbles in other sports. He has worked at The Times since 2002, reporting on University of Washington Husky football and basketball for his first 10 years at the paper before switching to the Seahawks in 2013.