Fresh off his Super Bowl LX MVP performance, Kenneth Walker III is set to cash in this offseason as he hits free agency. But he’s just one of many talented running backs who’ll hit the open market.
Nine running backs appeared on my top 100 free agents ranking and predictions list earlier this week. A few running backs were included in the top 20 of the list, showing that there’s plenty of talent at the position that’s attainable this offseason.
So, let’s take a closer look at the 10 best running backs set to become free agents this offseason and what their markets might look like.
Gainwell, 26, set career highs in Pittsburgh this past season, putting up 537 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns and 4.7 yards per carry. He was also very active catching passes out of the backfield, with 73 receptions for 486 yards. His head coach and offensive coordinator from 2025 are both out of the NFL, so perhaps he’ll reunite with Shane Steichen and give the Colts a better backup behind Jonathan Taylor, who had 90% of their rushing yards this past season.
Allgeier, 25, has operated in the shadow of Bijan Robinson the last three years, playing second fiddle after rushing for 1,000-plus yards as a rookie in 2022. He’s averaged a good-not-great 4.3 yards per carry on the way to 719 rushing yards per season, and he’s averaged 155 carries since Robinson’s arrival, so there’s less wear on him as well. Could he land with former Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson in Tampa? His 18 career touchdowns show that coaches can trust him near the goal line.
Harris, 27, is coming off a torn Achilles that ended his season with Los Angeles after only three games. There’s mileage beyond the years, thanks to averaging 278 carries a season in four straight 1,000-yard campaigns for the Steelers. He had a tepid market in free agency last year, taking $5.25 million from the Chargers, and his injury status might take a bit off that total. But if he can stay healthy, he’s a prime bounce-back candidate to return to form in 2026.
Najee Harris had four straight 1,000-yard seasons with the Steelers before having an Achilles injury ended his 2025 campaign prematurely. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
White, 27, is a versatile back who’s averaged just over 1,000 yards from scrimmage and 50 catches a year in Tampa. He took a backseat to Bucky Irving and won’t be returning, but could be the lesser end of a nice 1-2 punch. The Bucs have lost enough offensive coordinators that he could follow any of them, from Dave Canales in Carolina to Liam Coen in Jacksonville and Josh Grizzard in Philadelphia. Anything over $5 million a year feels like too much — of 35 backs with 500-plus carries since 2022, he ranks 34th in yards/carry, ahead of only Kareem Hunt.
Dobbins, 27, seems perpetually limited by injuries. He had rushed for 772 yards in 10 games for Denver when he sustained a season-ending Lisfranc injury in his foot. He had 60-plus rushing yards in all but one game, averaging 5.0 yards per carry, so if a team could just get him healthy for a full season, you’d have a Pro Bowl-caliber running back. He cost Denver only $2.75 million last year, and it might take until summer when he can show he’s recovered, but he should land more than that for 2026.
Dowdle, 27, has had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons for the Cowboys and Panthers — nearly identical years, within 3 yards and one carry of each other, with the exact same number of catches. He had a lukewarm market a year ago and signed for $2.75 million with Carolina, but doubled his pay by cashing out another $2.75 million in incentives. Carolina leaning on Chuba Hubbard down the stretch could have him signing elsewhere. Would Mike McCarthy like him for a Dallas reunion in Pittsburgh?
Williams, 25, had a breakout year as a free-agent bargain for the Cowboys, rushing for a career-best 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns and averaging 4.8 yards per carry, a full yard better than the previous year with the Broncos. He went to Dallas on a one-year, $3 million deal, but could get double that this time around, with good pass-catching abilities, averaging 38 receptions per season. Dallas is well over the cap, so it may have a fourth leading rusher in four seasons in 2026.
3. Travis Etienne, Jaguars
Etienne, 27, has been a steady run presence in the last four years in Jacksonville, rushing for 1,107 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025. Keeping him will mean a nice raise — let’s say $8 million a year — but the Jaguars were pleased with fourth-round rookie Bhayshul Tuten in limited use this past season. Using the franchise tag at $14.5 million seems too expensive at a position where there isn’t much guaranteed money beyond the first year on many contracts.
Hall, still just 24, has been a solid back on bad Jets teams, rushing for a career-best 1,065 yards in 2025. New York has ample cap space and traded away some of their best players last year in Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams — will it be willing to overpay to keep him around? Hall has only 18 rushing touchdowns in four NFL seasons, but as the featured back on a more talented offense, he could get that in two years easily. He’ll challenge Walker for the high-dollar back in this free-agent class, north of $10 million a year.
1. Kenneth Walker, Seahawks
Walker, 25, ramped it up in the playoffs with four touchdowns before running his way to Super Bowl MVP after rushing for 1,027 yards in the regular season. Seattle was a good bet to extend him already, but the injury to Zach Charbonnet should make that more of a priority. Can he clear $10 million a year on a new contract? The Seahawks are a Super Bowl team still somehow ranked in the top five in available cap space for 2026, so it’s hard to imagine them not paying to bring him back as a central part of their offense moving forward.
