Running back Kenneth Walker III, whom the Super Bowl LV winner Seattle Seahawks despite winning the Super Bowl MVP award, has joined the Kansas City Chiefs in a sensational free agency move. The three-year, $45 million deal with Kansas will make Walker the highest-paid free agent running back in the history of the NFL.
However, this sudden rise of Kenneth Walker, from a relatively unknown figure in the league to winning the Super Bowl with the Seahawks and eventually joining the Chiefs are all part of a carefully curated career path for Walker. The 25-year-old changed his agent mid-season in 2025-26: a move that ESPN Analyst Peter Schrager thinks was pivotal to Walker’s rise.
Speaking on the Pat McAfee show, discussing Kenneth Walker’s trade, Schrager discussed how changing agent turned Walker’s career around.
“Kenneth Walker had a market with various teams,” Schrager said. “He fired his agent right before the playoff run. Signed with a new agent. Goes on and has an incredible tier, wins the Super Bowl MVP, and he had his choice.”
Walker played three games in the 2025–26 NFL playoffs after firing his agent, rushing for 313 yards and four touchdowns on 65 carries while adding 104 receiving yards. He capped it with 135 rushing yards at the Super Bowl that earned MVP honors.
Also read: Why Mike Evans left Bucs for Brock Purdy, Niners; insider says its ‘not about money’
Kenneth Walker Joins Amid Big Travis Kelce Decision
The news of Kenneth Walker III joining the Kansas City Chiefs left fans of the franchise overjoyed as it came on the back of another positive news. Earlier on Monday, NFL insider Ian Rapport reported that star tight end Travis Kelce will return with the Chiefs for another season despite rumors of retirement.
Kelce, who is set to enter his 14th season in the NFL, has reportedly chosen to stay at Kansas City despite commanding a top-dollar fee from franchises interested in signing him. But “he’d rather stay with the Chiefs, catch passes from Patrick Mahomes, and have a shot at another Super Bowl,” Rapport said.
Now, the Chiefs fans are feasting at the prospect of seeing their star quarterback and tight end, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, team up with running back Kenneth Walker II, to form an attack that all NFL teams will likely fear next season.
