Marshawn Lynch Reinstatement: Oakland Raiders Rumors Indicate New Beast Mode Contract Coming

Marshawn Lynch’s reinstatement is underway as he seeks to play for the Oakland Raiders. If Marshawn Lynch unretires, he immediately becomes a member of the Seattle Seahawks again, but it appears very clear that he doesn’t plan to return to the franchise. This would mean that Seahawks general manager John Schneider has some tough decisions in front of him, as he has to decide what to do with Lynch’s contract and whether to force a Raiders trade to take place.

A report by KIRO 7 out of Seattle confirms the reinstatement process is underway and that Lynch is indeed hoping to play for the Raiders. This isn’t a surprise in itself, as the worst kept secret of the NFL offseason was that Lynch wasn’t quite finished with his NFL career. Many Marshawn Lynch-Raiders rumors have gained traction on social media over the past month, possibly providing the Pro Bowl running back with a chance to play in front of his hometown crowd.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, there have been New England Patriots rumors suggesting the team would be open to signing Lynch as a free agent as well. The Patriots have already been linked to Adrian Peterson and Jamaal Charles in NFL free agency, but there is also a contract on the table to LaGarrette Blount that he hasn’t signed yet. While many fans are still asking how old is Marshawn Lynch, Patriots general manager and head coach Bill Belichick has made a career out of finding overlooked veterans to fill key roles.

So what happens next? For anything to take place between the Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders, the Marshawn Lynch reinstatement process has to be completed first. There typically isn’t much that would stop the commissioner’s office from putting a player back on the active list, even though NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has had frustrations in dealing with Lynch in the past. Once Lynch is officially reinstated, he will again become a member of the Seattle Seahawks. Would Beast Mode possibly consider a return to CenturyLink Field?

With two years still left on his contract in Seattle, the team could conceivably force him to play out the deal. He already received a signing bonus that the team has to count against the salary cap over the four-year span of his contract. The Seahawks could decide to simply cut him loose or force another franchise to offer draft pick compensation in order to get him. The problem for Schneider is that he has very little leverage to work with, especially given the prior Oakland Raiders rumors stating that the two sides have not entered negotiations.

There is going to be a lot of new Marshawn Lynch news as the weekend approaches, including a possible decision from the commissioner’s office about his return. This doesn’t mean that a deal with a new team would happen right away, as the Seattle Seahawks would have to first release him. At that point, Lynch would go on waivers, giving other teams a chance to claim him and pay the duration of his current contract. That deal is an expensive one, though, especially when it is for a veteran running back. That’s why so many people are asking “how old is Marshawn Lynch” on social media.

The answer to Marshawn Lynch’s age is that he turns 31 a bit later in April. That would make him “old” for a running back, which typically means a big pay cut when it comes to contract offers. It is unclear how much money he could command in free agency, but that number is hurt due to Adrian Peterson, Jamaal Charles, and LeGarrette Blount all still being available. Should one or two of them sign before the Oakland Raiders can react, then Lynch’s contract might just go up in value over the next week.

While there is no explicit news about the NFL acting on this latest bit of news, the whole process shouldn’t take that long if Lynch is intent on playing again. Following that bit of NFL news, the ball will then be with Seahawks general manager John Schneider, as he has to wade through the tough choice of cutting a player under contract or suffering some bad publicity. Marshawn Lynch’s reinstatement would allow these Seattle Seahawks rumors to run their course, likely with the Oakland Raiders having a new running back to replace Latavius Murray.

[Featured Image by Steve Dykes/Getty Images]