Texans Get Eyebrow-Raising Update on Award-Winning Playmaker

The Houston Texans must strengthen their running game after it struggled last season, putting too much responsibility on C.J. Stroud and the passing attack in Year 1 under offensive coordinator Nick Caley, and Kenneth Walker III could be the solution.
However, it has seemed unlikely that the Seattle Seahawks would allow the reigning Super Bowl MVP to get away this offseason.
That was until the latest update changed the outlook for the Texans and other potential suitors.
Kenneth Walker III News Raises Eyebrows
Walker, who turns 26 in October, rushed for 1,027 yards and 5 touchdowns during the 2025 regular season, 825 yards fewer than the Texans had as a team. He seemed like a lock for the franchise tag.
That is, if he and the Seahawks cannot agree to a long-term extension.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter’s latest update on Walker’s situation raised more than a few eyebrows, including for those with Texans interests.
“It’s unlikely the Seahawks will use their franchise tag on running back and Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker, per league sources,” Schefter reported on X on February 16. “The Seahawks have multiple free agents they want to retain and sign. They also will try to extend WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba. There are enough Super-Bowl tax costs that now make using a franchise tag this off-season unlikely.”
The Texans are working at a deficit until they make some adjustments to contracts of players currently on their roster. Over The Cap has them at $4.7 million over the limit. Meanwhile, Spotrac projected Walker to receive up to $9 million annually.
The site offered a four-year, $36 million pact as an example of what Walker could receive on his next deal.
Despite the attention Walker could garner, the Texans do not need to spring for a big name.
Texans Get Wise Words Before Free Agency
Bucky Brooks, a former NFL player and scout, offered insightful words into the Seahawks’ thought process on Walker that makes sense for the Texans’ roster plans, too.
“Given the depth of the 2026 RB class and the Seahawks’ belief in the Shanahan/Kubiak system, which has always viewed RB as disposable assets, the Walker news is not surprising,” Brooks posted. “The ‘Hawks will likely target a RB on Day 2 to replace the SB MVP with a younger and cheaper option…. As they say, ‘It’s business, never personal.’”
That could be a wise route for the Texans to take, given they were able to get useful production out of 2025 fourth-round pick Woody Marks and 2024 sixth-rounder Jawhar Jordan, both of whom remain under contract for next season, along with injured veteran Joe Mixon.
Notably, skepticism remains that the Seahawks will let Walker get away, and they could use the transition tag, as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler noted that could be “more palatable.”
Still, it could be difficult for the Texans to pass on Walker, given what he brings to the table.
Kenneth Walker III Draws Noteworthy Comparison
Teammates and New England Patriots players alike remarked during the Super Bowl how Walker reminded them of former Pittsburgh Steelers star Le’Veon Bell, one of the best players at his position during his peak.
One of Bell’s signature traits was his patient running style, where he almost walked up to the line of scrimmage before picking a hole to run through.
Walker is not the receiver or pass blocker Bell was.