Seahawks free-agency primer: Will Kenneth Walker III return?

SEATTLE – Now comes the hard part for the Seahawks.

With a week to go until the official start of the free-agent negotiating period March 9, the Seahawks and every other NFL team have to begin making tough decisions.

Recall that it was the week before free agency a year ago when some franchise-altering decisions were made to trade Geno Smith and DK Metcalf, release Tyler Lockett and set in motion the signings of Sam Darnold and Cooper Kupp.

This year doesn’t figure to be as cataclysmic.

But when your team is coming off a Super Bowl win – and one of the key decisions involves the reigning Super Bowl MVP – every decision can be big.

Here’s a look at key dates and questions to watch as free agency edges ever closer.

Will Seahawks use their franchise/transition tags?

While it was reported two weeks ago that the Seahawks were “unlikely’’ to use a franchise or transition tag on running back Kenneth Walker III, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, they still have time to do it if they change their mind.

But not much.

The deadlines to use either tag is 1 p.m. Tuesday.

If the tags are not used then that guarantees Walker will become an unrestricted free agent next week unless he re-signs with the Seahawks first.

The tags would give Walker a guaranteed salary for 2026 determined based on an agreed-upon formula – $14.2 million for a franchise tag and $11.3 million for the transition tag – and can allow the Seahawks to match any offers he might get and also potentially get compensation depending on which tag is used.

Only two tags had been used as of Sunday afternoon throughout the NFL – franchise tags slapped by Dallas on receiver George Pickens and Atlanta on tight end Kyle Pitts.

Seattle has used one twice since general manager John Schneider arrived in 2010. Schneider did not comment at the combine last week when asked if Seattle would use the tag.

Recall that it was when Darnold did not get tagged last year and it became a certainty that he would become a free agent that helped set in motion Seattle’s QB moves.

Will Walker re-sign before free agency begins?

The growing conventional wisdom as free agency nears is that Walker is expected to have some pretty serious interest from other teams if he is not tagged, seeming to indicate that unless the Seahawks really blow him out of the water with an offer, he’s likely to hit the open market.

Schneider’s comment at the combine when asked about Walker also was viewed by some as noncommittal and appearing to leave the door open that Walker might not be back.

We’d love to have Ken back, and he knows this better than anybody – it’s about our 70 and our collective and what that’s going to look like,” Schneider said, referring to having the money and cap space to put together the best overall roster including the practice squad.

There could be some trade options for the Seahawks to pursue at running back, or veterans who are released by their teams, though one player that some had floated as a possibility – David Montgomery – is no longer available. Montgomery was traded by Detroit to Houston on Monday, a day after ESPN posited that Seattle could be interested in Montgomery as a possible replacement for Walker.

The Seahawks also got a good look at potentially draftable running backs at the combine, with analysts saying there could be some decent options on the second or third day.

Tuesday figures to push Walker one step closer to free agency.

Who are Seattle’s other free agents?

As a quick reminder, Seattle has eight other players set to become unrestricted free agents besides Walker – receivers Rashid Shaheed and Dareke Young, safety Coby Bryant, cornerbacks Riq Woolen and Josh Jobe, rush end Boye Mafe, offensive lineman Josh Jones and linebacker Chazz Surratt.

Any could re-sign with the Seahawks before next Monday and be kept in the fold.

The Seahawks often have re-signed a couple before free agency hits and did so last year with both linebacker Ernest Jones IV and defensive lineman Jarran Reed.

Each agreed to contracts with the Seahawks last year on the day before the negotiating period began, deals that came together after meetings between the team and agents at the combine.

Expect increasing rumors about the top names on that list to surface as free agency nears.

One player around whom there is already plenty of discussion is Shaheed. Shaheed said when he arrived in Seattle in November via a trade with the Saints that he hoped to stay with the Seahawks for the long haul.

But his contribution to Seattle’s Super Bowl title figures to have only increased his market (as is the case with most of the other names on that list).

ESPN this weekend also reported an obvious team to watch as likely to be interested in Shaheed: the Raiders, now coached by Klint Kubiak, who was Seattle’s OC in 2025 and also the OC for the Saints in 2024 when Shaheed played there.

“Some around the league are linking Shaheed to the Raiders,’’ ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported. “The feeling is that Las Vegas likes him a lot, though it will be selective at the position if the money gets too out of hand.

That same report also stated that the Bills could be interested in Shaheed. New Bills offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael was the OC for the Saints when Shaheed was there in 2022 and 2023.

What about restricted and exclusive rights?

Seattle also has seven restricted rights free agents. RFAs are players on whom teams can place tenders, assigning them a salary for the 2026 season with the ability to match any offers they might get and potentially get compensation if they sign elsewhere.

Seattle’s RFAs are: linebacker Drake Thomas, receivers Jake Bobo and Cody White, tight end Brady Russell, safety A.J. Finley, snapper Chris Stoll and defensive lineman Brandon Pili.

The deadline to place tenders on RFAs is 1 p.m. PT March 11 when the new league year begins (and also when unrestricted free agents can begin officially signing contracts with new teams).

RFAs can also re-sign with their own team at any time, and the Seahawks might try to knock a few of those out before next week. Thomas, Stoll and Russell in particular all appear priorities for the team to retain.

Seattle also has two exclusive rights free agents – safety Ty Okada and running back George Holani. Teams can retain ERFAs with a qualifying offer. Seattle undoubtedly will keep both.