Who should be in the business of adding Walker this offseason? Below, we look at five potential destinations.
With Rachaad White potentially leaving in free agency, the Bucs could have a need at running back to partner with Bucky Irving, who finished sixth in Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2024 but was limited to 10 games due to injury last season.
Walker provides much less in the pass game than White, but Irving’s 77 receptions over his first two seasons shows he can fill that receiving back role while Walker receives the bulk of the carries.
James Conner, who turns 31 in May, is a cut candidate after missing 14 games following a season-ending foot injury. He has a $9.83M cap number in 2026, and Arizona would only be on the hook for $2.25M by releasing him, according to Over The Cap. The Cardinals’ leading rusher last season was Michael Carter with 333 yards, just 20 more than Walker had in three postseason games.
With quarterback Kyler Murray unlikely in the team’s future, Arizona has more pressing concerns than running back. But adding Walker to an offensive core that includes tight end Trey McBride and wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson would give its next quarterback a solid foundation.
Since becoming the Chiefs’ full-time starting quarterback in 2018, Patrick Mahomes has never benefited from a 1,000-yard rusher. Kareem Hunt, Kansas City’s last back to cross the threshold (2017), is an unrestricted free agent, as is Isiah Pacheco, who has underwhelmed the past two seasons after a promising start to his career.
Instead of returning either for another season, the Chiefs would be wise to pursue Walker, who would instantly become the best running back Mahomes has played alongside.
The Commanders unearthed a gem in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft when they landed running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who had 175 carries for 805 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie. And while Washington should direct most of its offseason spending to improving the defense, adding a veteran back of Walker’s caliber would only help quarterback Jayden Daniels as he looks to rebound from an injury-plagued 2025.
If Travis Etienne, the other top running back in the 2026 free-agent class, exits Duval County (the Chiefs and New Orleans Saints
are rumored potential suitors), Jacksonville will need a tried-and-true replacement to take over as the team’s lead back.
The Jaguars, $16.902M over the cap, might not be able to win a bidding war for Walker’s services, but after acquiring wideout Jakobi Meyers at the 2025 trade deadline, he’d make sense as another veteran addition for a team looking to build on last season’s 13-4 record.
