For the first time ever, a Michigan State alum was named Super Bowl MVP as Kenneth Walker III took home the title on Sunday night with his 160-yard performance.
The Spartan legend also got an insane payday because of this performance, and I’m not just talking about his rumored bonus for winning MVP.
According to a quick Google AI search, Walker’s bonus for winning the Super Bowl MVP is projected to be somewhere around $180,000. While this may not be completely accurate, that’s the estimate that I’ve seen just about everywhere. There’s also a chance he could receive a car from the sponsors.
That’s not where he’s getting paid, though. While a bonus like that isn’t chump change, that’s not where the big money is about to come from.
Finishing off his rookie contract, Walker is heading into the offseason as an unrestricted free agent. That means that the Seahawks will have to fend off a ton of potential suitors to keep Walker in Seattle, especially since he’s projected to receive somewhere over $30 million on a four-year deal. This Super Bowl MVP performance may have added a couple million to that future deal.
And it wasn’t just the Super Bowl performance that’s getting him paid next year, it was his entire playoff run. He had 417 yards and four touchdowns over the Seahawks’ three playoff games, accounting for 100-plus in each contest.
Walker is about to get paid big-time.
There’s going to be no shortage of suitors for Kenneth Walker III
Looking at the top running back contracts in the NFL and which tier Walker fits into, talent-wise, he should probably be somewhere in the league’s top 10. He was one of 17 1,000-yard rushers in the NFL this season, and he led all backs in postseason rushing yards. If he does get paid like a top-10 back, he should make around $10 million per year.
There are going to be plenty of teams looking to upgrade the running back position this offseason.
According to former NFL star and current NFL.com analyst Maurice Jones-Drew, five teams stand out to him as needing to upgrade their running back rooms this offseason, and they could be organizations to watch for outside of Seattle:
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Houston Texans
- New Orleans Saints
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Denver Broncos
Teams like the Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, and Jacksonville Jaguars could also be looking for backs this offseason due to free agency — and underperformance (Minnesota).
Look for Walker to get paid big-time this offseason — a much-deserved raise for the MVP.