Kevin O'Connell Kenneth Walker
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CBS Sports' Emory Hunt argued the Minnesota Vikings should pursue running back Kenneth Walker in 2026 NFL free agency.
During their salary cap purge over the past week or so, the Minnesota Vikings released running back Aaron Jones. But according to one pundit, that doesn’t mean the Vikings couldn’t pursue a major splash with free agent Kenneth Walker.
CBS Sports’ Emory Hunt argued Minnesota should push to sign the top running back set to be available in 2026 NFL free agency.
“This is a position of need, in my opinion, for Minnesota,” Hunt said on CBS Sports HQ.
“We know they no longer have Aaron Jones, so why not go and get Kenneth Walker?”
Jones named the Vikings a potential destination for Walker while also encouraging the team to trade for quarterback Anthony Richardson.
With Richardson and Walker, Hunt sees the Vikings developing an extremely dangerous offense under head coach Kevin O’Connell.
“Pair him with an athletic-mobile quarterback in Anthony Richardson with a very good offensive line,” Hunt added. “Explosive playmakers on the perimeter, this could be the No. 1 offense in the NFL, let alone the NFC, with those two acquisitions.”
Walker is the consensus top running back set to be available in NFL free agency this upcoming week. The Athletic’s Daniel Popper projected Walker to receive a 4-year, $52 million contract in free agency.
During 2025, Walker rushed for 1,027 yards and five touchdowns. With the championship-winning Seattle Seahawks, he became the first running back to win Super Bowl MVP in nearly three decades.
Could the Vikings Replace Aaron Jones With Kenneth Walker?
Putting aside the Richardson trade proposal for a second, the Vikings pursuing Walker after losing Jones makes sense from a football standpoint.
Jones experienced a subpar 2025 campaign, but in 2024, he ran for a career-high 1,138 yards and contributed 408 receiving yards. Jones was a significant reason why the Vikings won 14 games.
Walker isn’t as good of a pass-catcher. But as a running back, Walker could match Jones’s prior production.
Walker has averaged 4.3 yards per carry in his career. In three of his four seasons, he’s gained at least 900 yards on the ground.
With Jones struggling and missing five games because of a hamstring issue last year, Jordan Mason led the Vikings with 758 rushing yards. Mason will return in Minnesota, but he’s never had more than 173 touches in a season.
Most pundits have predicted the Vikings to pair Mason with a cheaper running back in free agency. But the biggest splash would be to sign Walker to complement Mason.
Walker has experience in a time-shared backfield. In Seattle, he split opportunities with Zach Charbonnet during 2025.
Why Vikings Are Unlikely to Target Walker
It’s easy to argue the Vikings should aim to sign Walker. It could be much harder for the Vikings to fit the Super Bowl MVP under the salary cap.
The Vikings released Jones in part because they had one of the worst cap situations entering March. Over the past week, the team has had to make hard decisions on a lot of veterans to get cap compliant.
After doing that, the Vikings turning around and making Walker one of the highest-paid running backs in the league might not make much financial sense. That could especially be true with Mason set to return.
Yes, Walker is the top free agent running back this offseason. But there are other quality free agents at the position. Veterans such as Rachaad White and Kenneth Gainwell could be better complements to Mason because they are better pass catchers.
Inking Walker, especially after a trade for Richardson, could win the Vikings the offseason headlines. But there are more prudent moves Minnesota can make in the backfield.