Seahawks can fix $43m Kenneth Walker and Chiefs mistake by trading for Jonathan Taylor in Colts teardown

Sam Darnold has not been the same since losing his Super Bowl MVP teammate. Neither have the Seattle Seahawks , who foolishly thought they were good enough without Kenneth Walker III and have since watched the NFL’s leading rusher brilliantly share a backfield with Patrick Mahomes . Kansas City head coach Andy Reid recently called Walker a ‘stud.’ “They’ve accepted me with open arms and I appreciate them for that,” Walker said. The Chiefs are a perfect 5-0 with the ex-Seahawk, while Seattle is stuck at 3-3 and already three wins behind the NFL-best San Francisco 49ers (6-0) in the loaded NFC West. Darnold has returned from a scary Week 1 injury to throw seven interceptions and face calls to be benched . So how does Seattle answer its Walker-to-the-Chiefs mistake midseason, all while trying to steady a shaky Darnold and catch the 49ers in the West? By taking advantage of the mounting mess in Indianapolis, of course. The Colts are 2-4, increasingly going nowhere, and wasting the game-changing talent of three-time Pro Bowl running back Jonathan Taylor . Indy has lost 12 of its last 15 games and the team’s ownership finally woke up this week to fire Chris Ballard as general manager . “They need to bring in someone who’s gonna look at it holistically, who’s gonna sit there and go, ‘This is not a playoff team,’ ” talkSPORT’s Will Gavin exclusively said on Inside the NFL . “This is not a Super Bowl team. This is not a team who can even compete anywhere near that level.” Factor in that veteran quarterback Daniel Jones is regressing and on an $88 million contract that is actually team friendly — the No. 6 overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft becomes an unrestricted free agent after next season — and Indy must explore the benefits of the trade market before a November 10 deadline. That starts with Taylor, who signed a two-year, $44m contract extension last August in a deal that runs through the 2028 season. Which brings the 3-3 Seahawks back into the picture. Darnold isn’t a top 10 QB in the NFL without a strong running attack. In 2026, Seattle’s run game ranks 18th in the league (107.2 yards per game), while Emanuel Wilson’s 3.5 average yards per carry are holding back the Seahawks’ offense. With Walker paired with Mahomes, the Chiefs lead the NFL in average rushing yards (159.8), and Walker is averaging a career-high 6.3 YPC. NFL's Greatest...... Ranking the top 10...... Quarterbacks of all-time – Can anyone better Tom Brady? Wide receivers of all-time – Does Randy Moss or Jerry Rice come out on top? Running backs of all-time – Stacking Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith and more Tight ends of all-time – How does Travis Kelce compare? Taylor is coming off a monster 1,585-yard and 18-touchdown season. The seventh-year Colt has 8,090 career rushing yards and 76 TDs on the ground, and he’s a capable receiver (202 career catches for 1,632 yards). But he’s averaging a career-low 4 YPC while Indy searches for a new GM and considers a fire sale that precedes a full house cleaning. The Seahawks were cheap last offseason in deciding that $43m was too much money for a Super Bowl MVP who was about to become the best running back in the NFL. With trade interest in Taylor picking up and multiple teams interested — the 5-0 Minnesota Vikings also need a running back upgrade — Seattle owes it to Darnold and the team’s fanbase to place a long-distance phone call to Indy. Sign up for talkSPORT Stateside , the YouTube channel dedicated to passionate US Sports fans. Will Gavin, Brian T. Smith, former NFL star Efe Obada and a collection of special guests debate the biggest talking points across the NFL, soccer, NBA and more.