After being hamstrung by one of the NFL’s most impotent rushing attacks in 2025, the Kansas City Chief made a drastic change this offseason by inking Kenneth Walker III to a blockbuster three-year, $43 million contract.
There are now massive expectations for Walker as he prepares to take over the backfield from the ineffective combo of Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt.
Compounding that lofty outlook is the status of Patrick Mahomes after he suffered a Week 15 ACL tear. While Mahomes is reportedly progressing well in his recovery and targeting a return in time for the regular season opener, it remains to be seen if the superstar signal-caller will be able to reach that goal.
If Mahomes is unavailable or limited, Walker will take on even more pressure to produce while the two-time NFL MVP works his way back.
Walker’s projections are further boosted by the lack of competition in Kansas City’s backfield. After splitting time with Zach Charbonnet for the bulk of his tenure with the Seattle Seahawks—a timeshare that reportedly irked the starter—Walker is now a clear lead back with only Brashard Smith and Emari Demercado to push him for touches.
While this situation could lead to heavy usage and ample opportunity for Walker to win the league’s rushing crown, it could also backfire for the Chiefs.
Walker may have had an impressive stretch that led to a Super Bowl MVP award, but he hasn’t been that type of player consistently during his four-year career. After breaking out as a rookie with a 1,050-yard rushing season, Walker regressed in each of the next two seasons, culminating with a concerning 3.7 yards per carry average during the 2024 campaign.
Injuries were an issue during that stretch as well. While Walker did manage to appear in all 20 games (including the playoffs) for Seattle last year, he missed multiple games in each of his first three seasons.
Other issues such as notoriously poor pass protection efforts and middling advanced stats could come back to haunt Walker as he tries to establish himself as one of the modern era’s rare high-volume backs.
There’s certainly upside for Walker to take his game to new heights in Kansas City, but there’s also enough red flags surrounding this signing that the contract could eventually become an albatross for the Chiefs.