Inside the Kenneth Walker III deal

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As the details regarding many of the free-agent contracts made their way to the light of day last week, one deal was absent. We've now gotten our eyes on the full base numbers of the three-year contract signed by Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III. Here are the terms of Walker's new deal with the Chiefs: 1. Signing bonus: $13 million. 2. 2026 base salary: $1.215 million, fully guaranteed. 3. 2026 workout bonus: $135,000, fully guaranteed but must be earned. 4. 2027 base salary: $14.1 million, fully guaranteed. 5. 2027 workout bonus: $250,000, fully guaranteed but must be earned. 6. 2028 base salary: $14.1 million. 7. 2028 workout bonus: $250,000. The deal has a base value of $43.05 million. That translates to an average of $14.35 million. Coincidentally, or not, the running back franchise tag for 2026 was $14.293 million. The Seahawks decided not to apply it. The Chiefs have fully guaranteed Walker $28.7 million over the first two years, an average of $14.35 million. With no guarantees for 2028, it's a two-year deal with a team option for 2028. While not at the top of the tailback market (Saquon Barkley at $20.6 million), it puts Walker not far behind Derrick Henry ($15 million APY) and ahead of Jonathan Taylor ($14 million APY). That's a very good deal for a running back who missed 10 games over his first three seasons and who rushed for a career-high of 1,050 yards as a rookie. The investment suggests that the Chiefs plan to use him heavily; last year, they paid only $1.5 million to Kareem Hunt and $1.12 million to Isiah Pacheco. Either way, Walker will get $14.35 million in cash for each of the next two years, with every penny guaranteed. It speaks to a level of involvement in the offense that the starting running back usually doesn't have in Kansas City.