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Viral moments seem to spawn out of championship parades these days, for better or worse.
For Seahawks GM John Schneider, the Super Bowl LX parade in Seattle on Wednesday saw an awkward moment involving the game’s MVP, running back Kenneth Walker III, go viral after what he said to the crowd.
Walker had himself quite the Super Bowl, capping off a terrific postseason run for the 25-year-old set to hit free agency this offseason with his rookie contract up.
Well, Schneider, holding a red Solo cup in his right hand, decided the podium in front of the entire city, with Walker over his left shoulder, was the best place to start negotiations on a new deal.
“Ken Walker being the MVP, let’s go!” Schneider yelled to the cheering crowd. “He tried negotiating with me five minutes ago. It was really weird. Anyway, hey, M-V-P! M-V-P!”
SEAHAWKS’ KENNETH WALKER III EARNS SUPER BOWL MVP HONORS AFTER DOMINANT RUSHING PERFORMANCE
Walker smiled and shook his head, with social media users believing he looked uncomfortable in the moment. But he later addressed Schneider’s comments on Instagram.
“Must’ve been da liquor he drinking cuz I never said dat shi!” he captioned a post on his Instagram Stories with the video of Schneider, accompanied by two laughing emojis.
Walker carried the Seahawks’ offense throughout the low-scoring affair until the fourth quarter saw 30 combined points against the New England Patriots. Walker finished with 135 rushing yards on 27 carries, while collecting 26 receiving yards on two catches.
In a split backfield with Zach Charbonnet this season, Walker still rushed for 1,027 yards on 221 carries with five touchdowns on the ground and 282 receiving yards on 31 receptions. It was the Michigan State product’s second season rushing for over 1,000 yards, which includes a breakout rookie campaign after Seattle drafted him in the second round in 2022.
The Seahawks didn’t have their two-headed monster in the backfield in the playoffs, though, as Charbonnet suffered a season-ending injury. Walker made the best of the heavier workload, rushing for 313 yards on 65 attempts with four touchdowns, three of which coming in the 41-6 rout of the San Francisco 49ers.
It would benefit the Seahawks, who currently have $72.28 million in projected cap space this offseason, to re-sign Walker. His market value is currently projected at around $9 million per season by Spotrac, but it may be even higher after his playoff run.
Either way, negotiations will start when both sides are ready to hit the table — sober. The thrill of winning the Super Bowl remains fresh, as it should after a hard-fought season.
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