After a heartbreaking season, the Kansas City Chiefs are starting the 2026 season big. They've brought Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III to balance the offense.

With the star running back’s presence, Mahomes finally has the support that became their undoing last season.

The official account of the NFL announced that the former Seattle Seahawks player joined the Chiefs on Monday. And NFL insider Ian Rapoport broke the news.

“Kenneth Walker III is signing a 3-year, $45M max deal with $28.7M fully guaranteed (via @RapSheet),” the post read.

According to ESPN, Walker signed a three-year deal with a base value of $43.05 million and guaranteed $28.7 million. This development followed up after Walker had an absolute run in the 2025 season. The 25-year-old won his first-ever Super Bowl Championship against the New England Patriots. He had scored 5 touchdowns for 1,027 yards and made 221 carries during the season. 

On the other hand, the 2025 season was the worst one the Chiefs played through in over a decade. Ranked third in their conference, the team failed to clinch a playoff berth for the first time in ten years. Moreover, it was also the first time Mahomes, 30, did not play postseason and had to undergo surgery for a torn ACL. And that boiled down to the running game.

But Just How Significant Is This Move to the Franchise?

Mahomes was compensating for the lack of strong running backs all year long. Isaiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt were major letdowns. Pacheco carried the ball 118 times for 462 yards and scored one touchdown only. And Hunt recorded 163 carries, out of which eight were touchdowns for 611 yards.  

Compared to them, Mahomes scored five rushing touchdowns for 422 yards out of 64 carries. This pressure to perform well as a dual threat eventually caught up, as Mahomes' return in Week 1 is uncertain. But with Walker in the backfield, the team's performance is bound to improve, taking pressure off Mahomes.

While the Seahawks are reeling with a major setback, the Chiefs, three-time Super Bowl Champions, are certainly preparing to win again.

Read more at the Cleveland Browns Community!

Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar