The moment said everything about who Kenneth Walker is.
During the Seahawks‘ Super Bowl LX victory celebration on Feb. 8 in the Levi’s Stadium locker room, Seattle’s team photographer gathered players and coaches one group at a time in front of a huge backdrop that read “Super Bowl LX Champions” over a giant Seahawk logo.
Each position group or side of the ball took turns peeling off from the crowd for a still shot with the Lombardi Trophy and their closest teammates, with cigars in their mouths, goggles on their heads and smiles on their faces.
Leonard Williams and the defensive linemen took a picture. Julian Love and the defensive backs gathered for a memorable shot. Then eventually, it was the running backs’ turn.
In stepped Walker, the Super Bowl MVP, fellow running backs Zach Charbonnet, George Holani, Kenny McIntosh and Jacardia Wright and offensive assistant Michael Byrne.
Charbonnet and Walker had been Seattle’s one-two backfield punch all season until Charbonnet tore his ACL in the divisional round win over the San Francisco 49ers. So Charbonnet was in street clothes and somewhat subdued, standing on the fringe of the frame at first, as if that’s where he thought he belonged after only getting to watch his teammates win that final game.
When someone handed Walker the Lombardi Trophy to hold in the middle of the picture by himself, however, he looked to his right, tapped Charbonnet to come closer and asked his teammate to move closer into the center of the frame and grab the other side of the trophy.
The final picture, therefore, shows Walker sharing his glory equally with Charbonnet and thinking of his teammate even at the highest point of his professional career.
This scene is relevant to the Giants because investing huge money in the running back position can be risky, but it could be worth it in part because of the person Walker is, on top of the player he has become.
Pat Leonard
Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker (cr.) makes sure fellow Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (cl.) grabs his share of the Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LX in February.
Head coach John Harbaugh has inherited a team that features plenty of independent contractors.
That is the byproduct of the Giants constantly losing games and of the players losing confidence in the organization doing right by the group. Players tend to prioritize ‘me’ instead of ‘we’ in these situations, and frankly, to an extent, it is tough to blame them.
Harbaugh needs to upgrade the roster’s talent to change the games’ results. He believes in a strong running game, and Walker is the best of this year’s unrestricted free agent group after the Seahawks declined to franchise tag him on Tuesday.
But the Giants coach also needs leaders, players who will be conduits of his culture and message to the locker room, who will pick up the man next to them, who will set an example of what it means to ‘Be a Giant.’
There are plenty of other positions where the Giants can invest in talent and leadership, and holes on the roster to fill.
The top running backs in the NFL make anywhere from Saquon Barkley’s $20.6 million average annual salary to Kyren Williams’ $11 million annual average with the Rams.
Breece Hall’s $14.2 million franchise tag amount with the Jets absolutely dwarfs the largest average annual RB cap hit on the Giants, Devin Singletary’s $5.5 million, which shouldn’t be on their books much longer. After that, it’s Cam Skattebo ($1.3 million) and Tyrone Tracy Jr. ($1 million).
Maybe that’s why the Giants still have a need at the position.
The Giants’ need for a true No. 1 back, of course, traces back to GM Joe Schoen’s infamous decision to let Saquon Barkley walk to the rival Philadelphia Eagles and lead them to a Super Bowl in Feb. 2025.
They didn’t just lose a top player that day. They lost a team leader, too.
The Giants need more of both. Walker seems to check both of those boxes at running back, if the team decides the investment is worth it as a big slice of the pie.
CARTER SAYS HE’S DITCHING 51
Giants edge rusher Abdul Carter said on ‘X’ Tuesday that he has a “new # coming soon.” He added: “It’s been a time 51.” So a new jersey number is coming for the former No. 3 overall pick … The Giants are hiring Mike Nobler as director of football video operations, as reported by Doug Analytics on ‘X’. Nobler comes from the Miami Dolphins.
