SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Entering his senior year at Arlington High in Tennessee, running back Kenneth Walker III’s football career almost ended before it ever really took off.
In summer 2018, Walker woke up having trouble breathing, which led to an emergency room visit where he was told he had blood clots in both of his lungs. That day, Walker wasn’t sure if he would ever play football again.
On Sunday night, Walker played so well he was named the MVP of Super Bowl LX, leading the Seattle Seahawks to a 29-13 victory against the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium.
“When a doctor told me I couldn’t play no more, I just thought football was over,” Walker said. “It was a shocking moment, but my dad worked with me throughout that whole process, and he was in the hospital with me as well and my mom. Going through that, it just made me grateful for each and every day to be able to go out there and strap up and play this game and just still be alive.”
Walker, who would earn the nickname “Thunder Shoes” in high school, is known in Seattle’s locker room for his soft-spoken, hard-working approach. But in a postseason and Super Bowl in which the Seahawks needed him most, Walker let his game do the talking. It spoke as loud as a thunderclap.
Walker rushed for 135 yards on 27 carries against the Patriots, adding 26 receiving yards on two catches to become the first running back to win Super Bowl MVP since Denver’s Terrell Davis in Super Bowl XXXII following the 1997 season. Those 135 rushing yards were also the most by a player in a Super Bowl since Davis.
For the first 30 minutes, Walker was the only player generating offense for either side. He broke runs of 29 and 30 yards in a three-play span to set up Seattle’s second field goal and become the third player in Super Bowl history with multiple rushes of 25-plus yards in a Super Bowl.
By halftime, Walker had 94 yards on 14 carries, the second-highest rushing total for a player in an opening half in Super Bowl history. Only Washington’s Timmy Smith in Super Bowl XXII in 1988 had more (131 yards).
“It’s surreal; K9’s one of one,” Seahawks guard Grey Zabel said. “This guy is super deserving of all the success that he has and is going to continue to have. There’s nobody I’d rather block for than K9.”
For most of the 2025 season, Zabel and his fellow linemen split their time blocking for Walker and fellow back Zach Charbonnet in one of the league’s more successful backfield timeshares. When Charbonnet tore his left ACL in the divisional round against the San Francisco 49ers, all eyes turned to Walker.
Zabel said Walker didn’t need to say anything, but it was evident in his body language and work ethic that he was ready to take on a bigger role. All Walker did in three postseason games was rush for 313 yards, falling just shy of Marshawn Lynch’s postseason franchise record of 318 after the 2014 regular season. Sunday was Walker’s third straight playoff game with 100-plus scrimmage yards, making him the only player in Seahawks history to accomplish the feat.
That rushing total also led all players in the postseason, and Walker’s 417 scrimmage yards and four total touchdowns also ranked first or tied for first among all players.
Throughout the postseason, Walker found motivation in making Charbonnet proud. He had Charbonnet’s No. 26 written on his wrist Sunday night and planned to show it to the camera after scoring on a long touchdown run in the fourth quarter before it was called back because of a holding penalty.
After the game, Charbonnet wasn’t surprised that Walker had earned MVP despite entering the game with the longest odds (+850) for a player to win it since Patriots receiver Julian Edelman in Super Bowl LIII.
“He’s been doing it all year,” Charbonnet said. “He’s the best there is, man. Love to have him.”
Walker’s finishing flourish came at a good time for him careerwise. He is slated to be an unrestricted free agent for the first time in March after playing the final year of his rookie contract with a salary cap number of just under $2.7 million.
Only three previous MVPs in Super Bowl history have changed teams in the offseason after winning the award, the most recent being Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive back Dexter Jackson in 2003.
In the run-up to Sunday’s Super Bowl, the soft-spoken Walker mostly kept to himself away from the podiums and bright lights as reporters clamored to speak to quarterback Sam Darnold about his career resurrection or receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba about his prolific season. When he did speak, Walker mostly deflected questions about his future but did indicate he’d like to stay in Seattle.
“I hope it shows the people that doubt running backs that running backs are important all around the league, not just here. Running backs make a great impact. Back in the day, people used to love running backs. I just hope we get that same energy back sometime soon.”
Seahawks RB and Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III
After beating the Patriots, Seahawks general manager John Schneider reiterated his desire to keep Walker in Seattle while acknowledging the cost to keep him probably has increased.
“I’m happy for him,” Schneider said. “You want to see people be able to take care of their families and do whatever they can to increase their earning power.
“Obviously we’d love to have Ken back. That stuff will play out in two weeks. We go to the combine, start talking to everybody and see what the landscape could look like for the spring.”
Although free agency will be here soon enough, Walker will take some time to soak in how far his journey has brought him. Walker said his personal adversity only made him more grateful for the steps he took to reach the Super Bowl podium as MVP, the people who helped him get there and the opportunity to again show the value of the running back on the game’s biggest stage.
“It means a lot to me,” Walker said. “I hope it shows the people that doubt running backs that running backs are important all around the league, not just here. Running backs make a great impact. Back in the day, people used to love running backs. I just hope we get that same energy back sometime soon.”
