While the Kansas City Chiefs are very unlikely candidates to use the franchise tag on any departing player this offseason, the front office is undoubtedly tuned into decisions of other teams as the window to use the tag opens up this week. And on Tuesday, the day before teams can start to apply the franchise or transition tag, the Chiefs received some very, very good news.
According to ESPN reporter Adam Schefter, the Seattle Seahawks are "unlikely" to use their franchise tag on running back Kenneth Walker Jr. Walker is coming off a strong contract year with over 1,300 yards from scrimmage with the Seahawks, and capped it with a Super Bowl MVP performance of 135 rushing yards against the New England Patriots.
While nothing is official, the news that they might not use the tag on Walker is rather shocking, considering the state of the backfield without him. Walker is the primary engine in the Seahawks' ground game, and yet his counterpart, Zach Charbonnet, suffered a season-ending torn ACL just weeks ago in the NFC Championship game.
Seattle’s hesitation to tag Kenneth Walker Jr. is a major boost for the Chiefs as free agency approaches.
With Charbonnet's recovery timeline likely affecting his availability next season, Walker becomes even more important for an offense that relied heavily on him to ground out a win in Super Bowl LX. Other than wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, he is the most dynamic weapon on that side of the ball. Given the Seahawks' cap space, the decision not to tag Walker at $14.5 million is not only confusing but surprising.
The Chiefs should view all of this through a very positive lens. First, Walker's availability on the open market makes him one of the primary targets for the Chiefs in free agency. He's proven to be productive, especially in the postseason, and is still only 25 years old, playing a position at which the Chiefs are desperate to add talent and depth.
But the excitement around Seattle's "unlikeliness" to use the tag on Walker is less about the actual player and more about what it means. More choices on the store shelf mean lower prices or less intense competition for buyers. That's important for a free-agent market that looked like Walker and Breece Hall could both be tagged by their respective teams, keeping them away from bidders.
If Hall and Walker could both be made available in free agency, the entire market would be affected. That could mean an easier time for the Chiefs no matter where their interest lies, even with lower-tier backs like Rico Dowdle or Kenneth Gainwell or Tyler Allgeier. Any of these would be a significant step up for a franchise that's relied heavily on Isiah Pacheco's post-injury form to anchor the ground game.
Of course, the Seahawks might already have an understanding with Walker's reps in place for a second contract. It would make sense for both sides to continue what they've started after bringing a championship to Seattle. But if he's allowed to leave, or even flirt with leaving, that's good news.
The Chiefs don't need to add Walker specifically, although that would be a win. Instead, all of this tilts free agency in their favor at least a bit more. For a team that's already facing the league's worst salary cap situation, having any bit of help from the market is a notable development.