It didn't take Kenneth Walker long to find a home. 30 minutes into the legal tampering period of free agency the Super Bowl MVP agreed to terms with the Kansas City Chiefs. The rich really do get richer. In this situation, the New Orleans Saints are also sneaky benefactors of this deal.
The Chiefs are obviously the big winner. They grabbed a running back to add a new dynamic to their offense. Walker with a returning Patrick Mahomes can be special. The Saints' benefit comes in from the players impacted by the deal.
Two more realistic splashes at running back just got more realistic for the Saints. Travis Etienne and Jeremiyah Love are two fan favorites, and Walker's deal quietly heavily impacts both players.
Saints gained a more clear path for Travis Etienne and Jeremiyah Love once the Chiefs signed Kenneth Walker
If we're being honest, the Saints were never going to get Kenneth Walker. Whether that be because of finances or the fact that he was likely going to want to go from a Super Bowl champion to a contender if he left Seattle, the Saints just weren't likely suitors. It's why you rarely heard fans talk about Walker, even as a pipe dream.
At the moment, we don't have the details of Walker's contract. Whatever his annual salary is though, that will set a hard cap for Etienne's contract. He'll likely get a little less than Walker. We'll have to wait for exact numbers, but Walker's figures could either help negotiations or cast doubt on if Etienne is truly affordable.
At the worst, the Chiefs didn't sign Etienne which keeps the reasonable option as an option for New Orleans. Additionally, Walker takes the Chiefs out of the Jeremiyah Love sweepstakes. The Chiefs are behind the Saints in the draft, and there was some thought that they might trade ahead of the Saints to get Love. Now, that's one less contestant for the rookie running back that you have to worry about.
Update: Walker's deal averages slightly above $14 million per year with the ability to reach $15 million, per insider Jordan Schultz. If Etienne is only slightly below that number, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Saints bow out of that race.