‘Breaks Your Heart’: Seahawks Lose Zach Charbonnet to Season-Ending ACL Tear
Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (26) carries the ball as San Francisco 49ers cornerback Renardo Green (0) defends during the first half in an NFC Divisional Round game at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images
Shortly after the conclusion of the Seattle Seahawks’ 41-6 beatdown of the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round on Saturday, coach Mike Macdonald expressed optimism that running back Zach Charbonnet had avoided a significant injury.
But after not being able to return in the second half with a knee injury, as it turns out, the Seahawks will have to continue their Super Bowl push without the hard-nosed runner. Speaking with Mike Salk and Brock Huard on his weekly radio show on Seattle Sports 710, Macdonald dropped a bombshell by announcing Charbonnet suffered a major knee injury last weekend and would need to undergo surgery, bringing his season to an abrupt end.
"It breaks your heart," Macdonald said. "He's going to need surgery. So, he has… got a good long road to come back. Our heart goes out to him. Prayers go out to Charbs. We love him, man.”
Per multiple sources who have spoken with Emerald City Spectrum, Charbonnet tore his ACL on a second quarter run on Saturday. He will need to undergo reconstructive knee surgery, which not only will end his 2025 season, but also threaten to cost him a significant chunk of next season, which will be the final year of his rookie contract.
Forming a stellar one-two punch with starting running back Ken Walker III, Charbonnet enjoyed the best season of his NFL career in 2025, rushing for 730 yards and scoring a team-high 12 touchdowns, providing outstanding contributions near the goal line and in short yardage situations. Per Pro Football Focus, among backs with at least 175 carries, he ranked seventh in yards per carry after contact (3.33) while tying for 14th in the league forcing 46 missed tackles, bringing a bludgeoning force to Seattle’s backfield as a complement to Walker’s explosive speed.
Charbonnet also pitched in regularly as a receiver, snagging 20 passes on 24 targets for 144 yards this season for the Seahawks.
In the short term, with Walker being the only healthy back on the 53-man roster at the moment as the team gears up for a rematch with the Rams at Lumen Field, the Seahawks currently have former Rams starter Cam Akers and Velus Jones Jr. on the practice squad and one or both of those players could be signed for the NFC Championship Game. Jones suited up for Saturday’s game and saw action in the fourth quarter, rushing six times for 10 yards, while Akers has only seen snaps as a kick returner in three regular season games.
Second-year back George Holani, who remains on injured reserve after suffering a hamstring injury in late November, also could be in play to return to practice this week and be activated in time for Sunday. Before being deactivated shortly after Thanksgiving, the ex-Boise State star had 22 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown and also caught two passes for 15 yards. He also scored a touchdown on a bizarre special teams play against the Steelers in Week 2, recovering the ball in the end zone on a kickoff for six points.
Beyond this season, Charbonnet’s injury likely will create more urgency for Seattle to re-sign Walker, who will become an unrestricted free agent at the start of the new league year in March. Hitting the 1,000-yard mark for the second time in his career, the former second round pick out of Michigan State has been playing his best football as of late, including rushing for 116 yards and three touchdowns in Saturday’s victory over San Francisco, so he’s peaking at the perfect time considering his contract status and the Seahawks’ sudden concerns running back-wise for 2026.
