'He's Killing It': Seahawks Face Daunting Task Trying to Slow Down Ken Walker III in Return to Seattle
There's still much love in the VMAC for Ken Walker III, who remains close with many of his former teammates. But on Sunday night, friendship goes out the window as the Seahawks try to slow down K9 and the red-hot Chiefs.
RENTON, Wash. - Having helped carry the franchise to their second Super Bowl back in February, Ken Walker III will always hold a special place in the heart of his now former Seattle Seahawks teammates.
That is, with the exception of three hours and change on Sunday night, when Walker returns to Lumen Field donning red, yellow, and white as a member of the undefeated Chiefs. From the opening kickoff until the final whistle, friendship will have to be put on hold as the Seahawks try to slow down the explosive playmaking backfield weapon, something no other team has been able to do in the first six weeks of the season.
"A lot of guys that are in here are incredibly close with him still and because of what we did last year, that bond will be forever," Seahawks safety Julian Love said on Wednesday. "We’ll always be attached, but while he wears another jersey, we have to attack him just like everybody else with another jersey. I think he would want that. I think that’s just how it is in this league."
"We’ve had a lot of battles. It’s going to be fun. Get back to old times, how it used to be," linebacker Ernest Jones added, referencing facing Walker earlier in his career when he played for the Rams. "We’re still good friends, but of course, on Sunday, I’ll be trying to get after him and he’ll be trying to run for a lot of yards.”
Forced to make some difficult decisions after hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, Seahawks general manager John Schneider decided against busting out the checkbook to re-sign Walker. Opting not to use the franchise tag on him and not being willing to pay north of $10 million per year on the running back, they allowed him to bolt in free agency, quickly signing a three-year, $43.5 million deal with the Chiefs.
Fast forwarding to late October, no free agent signing has been more impactful than Walker, who has taken the opportunity to finally be utilized as a true bell cow feature back and ran with it - literally. Elevating a dormant Kansas City run game and then some, he has emerged as an early favorite for Offensive Player of the Year honors, leading the league with 665 rushing yards while averaging a gaudy 6.3 yards per attempt and scoring eight total touchdowns.
