The Seattle Seahawks dismantled the rival San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round of the playoffs Saturday, but it came at a cost. Running back Zach Charbonnet sustained a “significant knee injury” and will miss the rest of the playoffs, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald confirmed Monday.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter later reported that the injury was a torn ACL.
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Charbonnet, 25, led the team with 12 rushing touchdowns during the regular season.
While Macdonald didn’t reveal the exact nature of the injury, he said Charbonnet would face “a long road back,” potentially hinting at the running back missing time next season.
Throughout the regular season, Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker combined to give the Seahawks a fearsome rushing attack. The team ranked 10th in the NFL with 2,096 rushing yards in 2025. Walker led the way with 1,027 yards, but Charbonnet was the hammer, scoring 12 of the team’s 19 rushing scores.
Since being selected in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Charbonnet has emerged as a strong power option and the perfect complement to the shifty Walker. After a quiet rookie season, Charbonnet showed promise in his second year, rushing for 569 yards and scoring eight touchdowns while filling in for an injured Walker.
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Both players stayed healthy in 2025, but that didn’t stop Charbonnet from putting up the best season of his career. The third-year pro rushed for a career-high 730 yards and scored 12 touchdowns.
With the Seahawks securing the No. 1 seed in the NFC, Charbonnet was able to rest during the wild-card games. He returned to action against the 49ers, but carried the ball just five times for 20 yards in the contest. He left the game late in the first half, after taking a big hit. Macdonald said he was optimistic about Charbonnet’s injury after the contest, but that the running back would undergo further evaluation.
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That evaluation apparently revealed a much more worrisome injury, ending Charbonnet’s season.
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