On Thursday afternoon, the three signings that made up the first wave of signings for the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency met with local reporters at the team facility. The headliner was running back Kenneth Walker III, a talented ballcarrier who will help embody the retooling of the Chiefs’ offense under a new coaching staff.
On Wednesday, the three-year contract he signed with Kansas City became official, and the maximum value of $45 million with $28.7 million guaranteed established him as the highest-paid
free-agent running back in NFL history.
“It means a lot,” Walker acknowledged to reporters during his press conference. “You feel appreciated and wanted, that’s what everybody wants. I’m just happy to get in here, be able to get to know the guys and work.”
After winning Super Bowl MVP with a workhorse performance of 161 total yards over 29 touches, Walker is expected to be wanted by any of the 32 NFL teams. However, Kansas City’s “winning culture” made him feel like it was the right fit for him, and to be wanted by individual pillars of that success, in quarterback Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid, can make him feel solidified in his decision.
“When I came here, he tweeted out and commented on my Instagram too,” Walker reflected on Mahomes’ reaction to the signing. “Then we talked on the phone and texted each other, and I was able to see him today… a real, genuine person.”
“It was great,” Walker later said of his conversation with Reid. “We talked about everything, not just football; we talked about life honestly. I like photography, and he knew that, so we talked about that. It was cool to meet him and understand who he is.”
The Chiefs certainly wanted Walker, and it’s easy to imagine offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and new running backs coach DeMarco Murray backing up the idea. The two former NFL running backs have a combined 16 years of experience touting the rock professionally, and that isn’t overlooked by Walker.
“It means a lot because they played the position,” Walker began. “So their word, I feel like it holds more weight because they were in this position before when they played in the league.”
Not only has Bieniemy played the position, but he has also coached players who have become all-time players like former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and, of course, Chiefs legend Jamaal Charles.
Whether it’s 2006 or 2026, Bieniemy is going to demand a lot from his players, and Walker has already felt that energy.
“He’s intense. The more he talks about it, the more intense he gets… you want a person like that who’s real passionate about the game, so I’m excited to get to work with him.”
The Chiefs haven’t had the luxury of employing one of the league’s top backs since rookie running back Kareem Hunt led the NFL in rushing in 2017. Walker has proven himself to be considered as such, but his potential to become a league-leading, All-Pro worthy player is certainly strengthened by joining the supporting cast he now has.
