Did John Schneider Really Try To Negotiate With Kenneth Walker III at Seahawks Parade? RB Blames ‘Da Liquor’ for Viral Contract Joke

Days after lifting the Lombardi and taking home Super Bowl LX MVP, Kenneth Walker III is already pushing back on his own front office.At the Seattle Seahawks’ parade on Wednesday, general manager John Schneider told a packed downtown crowd that his star running back tried to squeeze in contract talks during the celebration.

Walker fired back on Instagram a few hours later and said that never happened.

Kenneth Walker III pushes back as John Schneider’s contract joke explodes online

On Wednesday, Schneider took the mic in front of nearly a million fans and leaned straight into the bit. “Ken Walker being the MVP, let’s go!” Schneider shouted. “He tried negotiating with me five minutes ago. It was really weird. Anyway. hey, M-V-P! M-V-P!”

The clip spread quickly, but Walker made it clear he did not see it as anything more than parade talk.

Sharing the video on his Instagram story, he wrote, “Must’ve been da liquor he drinking cuz I never said dat shi!” with laughing emojis.Behind the joke is a real timeline. Seattle drafted Walker in the second round in 2022, and his four-year rookie deal is now running out. Without a fifth-year option, the Seahawks either have to extend him, apply the franchise tag, or risk letting their Super Bowl MVP hit the open market in March.

Super Bowl MVP run gives Kenneth Walker III real leverage in Seattle

Walker’s response landed only because his play backs it up. He rushed for 1,027 yards and five touchdowns in the 2025 regular season, added 282 receiving yards, then carried Seattle’s offense in January. He finished the postseason with 313 rushing yards, four touchdowns and 104 receiving yards in three games.In Super Bowl LX, Walker ran for 135 yards on 27 carries and added 26 receiving yards in a 29-13 win over the New England Patriots, becoming the first running back since Terrell Davis in 1998 to win Super Bowl MVP.

Kenneth Walker III’s contract ask will not be cheap after Super Bowl LX

Top running backs usually sit in the $12–$15 million per year range, with the very top of the market a tier above that. Spotrac’s models already project Walker in the multi-year, eight-figure range, and a franchise tag in 2026 would land around the mid-teens for one season. Seattle also has sizable cap space to work with.Walker has said he wants that money to come from the Seahawks. “I’ve been here four years, so you know I’ve gotten to know a lot of stuff about Seattle, and you know a lot of the city, and I feel like they feel good about me as well,” Walker told NFL.com’s Kevin Patra before the game.

“So if it was my choice, though, I’d definitely stay.”He also called his MVP night special because his father, who dislikes crowds, finally attended his first NFL game. “So this was his first NFL game, and we won a Super Bowl. So it means a lot to me, and I know he’s proud of me,” Walker said, via The Athletic.Now Schneider’s parade line has done one thing for sure: it reminded everyone watching that Seattle’s new Super Bowl MVP is negotiating from a very strong position, whether the talks happen five minutes after the parade or not.