Seattle Seahawks Rumors: Marshawn Lynch To Retire? Seahawks GM Says Lynch Close [Breaking]

Seattle Seahawks rumors suggest Marshawn Lynch could retire from the NFL soon. These Seahawks rumors come directly from Seattle general manager John Schneider, who spoke on a radio program about the situation on Friday, January 22. A report from FOX Sports, states that Lynch is actually leaning toward retirement, possibly bringing an end to his success in the NFL. This would be huge news as the Seahawks head into the offseason, especially as the front office tries to decide how it will handle the running back position for the 2016 NFL season.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the Seattle Seahawks would save a lot of money if Marshawn Lynch wasn’t on the roster in 2016. It would also allow the team to easily move from Lynch to Thomas Rawls as the primary running back on the roster. If Lynch were to retire, it could also help the front office evade the awkward situation of a veteran trying to play past the point that is body will allow him to be successful. After an injury plagued 2015 season, many fans were guessing he might be close to retirement.

If these Seattle Seahawks rumors do turn out to be correct, and Marshawn Lynch decides to retire, the team would get out of the current contract it has with the Pro Bowl running back. For the 2016 NFL season, Lynch is scheduled to make hefty $9 million in base salary. His cap hit will be $11.5 million after the Seahawks gave him a large signing bonus to agree to a contract extension. That ranks him among the highest-paid running backs in the game. If the team continues to keep Lynch on the payroll, he is also under contract for the 2017 NFL season with a $7 million base salary and a $3 million roster bonus.

If this did turn out to be the end of Lynch’s run in Seattle, his final game for the team wasn’t a memorable one. Playing against the Carolina Panthers in the NFL Playoffs, Lynch rushed six times for just 20 yards. He also had two catches for 15 yards, but it wasn’t the “Beast Mode” that fans have grown accustomed to seeing on the Seahawks sidelines. Slowed down by injuries for most of the 2015 NFL season, Lynch missed nine full games and part of another one. While it hurt the team to lose Lynch, it also allowed Thomas Rawls to step up in a big way.

An All Pro who has been on five Pro Bowl teams so far, Lynch has totaled 9,112 rushing yards, 1,979 receiving yards, and 83 touchdowns in his nine-year NFL career. There had been a lot of Seattle Seahawks rumors about his future during the last offseason, but the front office convinced him to come back for at least one more year. Though two more seasons remain on his current deal, the new contract was to give him a guaranteed pay raise in the short-term. He finished 2015 with 417 rushing yards, 80 receiving yards, and three touchdowns over parts of seven games.

It’s important to note that the information being discussed is primarily from Seahawks general manager John Schneider. Marshawn Lynch and his agent haven’t weighed in publicly yet. With Schneider making the retirement talk public, though, it is likely only a matter of time before the question gets asked of Lynch and his people. There are going to be a lot of Seattle Seahawks rumors about the roster, free agency, and the upcoming NFL Draft; getting an answer about Lynch, and his future in Seattle, would help the team set a new direction.

[Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images]