Now that the Seattle Seahawks will be facing off against the Kansas City Chiefs, an old wound is flaring up: the mistake of letting Kenneth Walker walk into free agency. The star RB will return to Lumen Field now as a member of the Chiefs, and he is going to be a big difference-maker. Seattle’s loss turned into a massive gain for Kansas City, thanks to poor management from the Seahawks’ top brass.

“And I think the biggest factor for Seattle is they have absolutely no run game. They got the Chiefs coming into their house, and they can look across that sideline at the Super Bowl MVP and John Schneider, the GM of the Seattle Seahawks, should punch himself in the n*** for not even making an offer for this guy,” Ritchie Incognite said on the Initial Contact podcast. “I was watching a video clip of the Super Bowl speech after last season and Schneider saying, ‘Oh, Walker was trying to negotiate with me behind the scenes.’ John Schneider needs a swift kick to the n*** for letting that guy out the building. Didn’t make an offer.

“Didn’t tag him. Let him go right over the Kansas City Chiefs. And now you got the 5-0 Chiefs coming into Seattle, and you are going to watch this guy shred you.”

The Seahawks’ decision not to retain Walker in free agency was influenced by long-standing concerns about his durability, according to ESPN’s Nate Taylor and Brady Henderson. They reported that Seahawks “decision-makers had reservations about [Walker’s] availability dating to his rookie season.” These reservations led Seattle not to raise the offer beyond $10 million annually.

Per The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar, neither Schneider nor his team showed strong interest in retaining the running back. No serious discussions. No contract ahead of free agency. He received this treatment despite winning the MVP honor in the Super Bowl last season, and rushing for 313 yards and four touchdowns on 65 carries in the postseason.

As Walker’s value went unappreciated by the team he had been part of for three years, Kansas City scooped him up in free agency by signing him to a three-year, $43.05 million contract that has $28.7 million in guaranteed money.

Schneider said after the Super Bowl that Walker had tried to negotiate with him right then. He laughed it off, but the RB’s departure has since put Seattle on the back foot. Kansas City, meanwhile, cannot be happier.

So far, Kenneth Walker alone has tallied 665 rushing yards, which is more than Seattle’s cumulative rushing yards this season. Of the five games he has played, he has posted more than 100 rushing yards four times. And, despite having played lesser number of games, he sits atop the RB leaderboard in the league this season.

Seattle, on the other hand, is desperate for a breakthrough in their rushing attack. RBs Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price are both out with injuries, leaving Emmanuel Wilson and George Holani up to the task. Velus Jones Jr. was also recently signed to the active roster.

Entering the Kansas City game, the Seahawks are averaging a disappointing 107.2 rushing yards per game. The Chiefs lead the league with 159.8 rushing yards per game.

Maybe Schneider is regretting not having prioritized keeping Walker on the team. 

“If you’ve ever gone through a breakup, you regret it. You probably know what the Seahawks are going through right now because they absolutely have to be regretting this move, especially when you look like how it’s impacted their offense without Walker,” CBS Sports NFL writer John Breech said. “Obviously, they’re trying to get that rushing attack figured out… They’ve got guys there, but nobody really has been able to replace the production of Kenneth Walker.”

It is true. Kenneth Walker is turning out to be a talent for the books, and he could have been on Seattle’s had they offered him a new contract.