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Kenneth Walker III almost never made it to his senior year at Arlington High in Tennessee. Summer 2018 – he woke up struggling to breathe.
The emergency room visit that followed delivered news no teenage athlete wants to hear: blood clots in both lungs. Walker didn’t know if he’d ever play football again.
Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium, he was named MVP of Super Bowl LX after leading the Seattle Seahawks past the New England Patriots 29-13.
“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 rushed for 135 yards on 27 carries against the Patriots, tacking on 26 receiving yards on two catches. He’s the first running back to win Super Bowl MVP since Denver’s Terrell Davis in Super Bowl XXXII following the 1997 season – and those 135 rushing yards matched the most by any player in a Super Bowl since Davis.
The nickname “Thunder Shoes” stuck with Walker back in high school. Around Seattle’s locker room, he’s known for keeping quiet and working hard.
But when the Seahawks needed him most in the postseason, his game did all the talking.
For the first 30 minutes Sunday night, Walker was the only player generating offense for either side. He broke off runs of 29 and 30 yards in a three-play span to set up Seattle’s second field goal – becoming the third player in Super Bowl history with multiple rushes of 25-plus yards in the big game.
By halftime, Walker had racked up 94 yards on 14 carries. Only Washington’s Timmy Smith in Super Bowl XXII back in 1988 had more rushing yards in an opening half (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.”
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, everything shifted to Walker.
Walker didn’t need to say anything, according to Zabel – his body language and work ethic made it clear he was ready.
All he did in three postseason games was rush for 313 yards, falling just shy of Marshawn Lynch’s postseason franchise record of 318 set after the 2014 regular season. Sunday marked Walker’s third straight playoff game with 100-plus scrimmage yards, making him the only player in Seahawks history to accomplish that feat.
That rushing total led all players in the postseason. 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.
Charbonnet wasn’t surprised Walker 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’s 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 was 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 big 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.”
Free agency will be here soon enough, but Walker’s taking time to soak in how far his journey has brought him. The 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.”
