Seattle Seahawks Rumors: Team Hoping To Keep Marshawn Lynch From Retiring By Offering $12 Million Next Year


The Seattle Seahawks are rumored to be making a strong play to keep Marshawn Lynch from retirement, offering the running back a deal that would give him between $11 million and $12 million in the first year.

The deal on the table is believed to be for three years, multiple sources close to the team confirmed to Yahoo! Sports. Seahawks general manager John Schneider met with Lynch’s agent, Doug Hendrickson, on Friday to discuss the outline of the deal, but there is no indication whether Lynch would accept it.

The rumors of a big deal are an about face from where the Seattle Seahawks appeared to be just a few weeks ago. As the regular season neared an end, reports circulated that the team was ready to move on from Lynch, who has a chilly relationship with the coaching staff and was often in trouble with the league.

But that changed when Lynch helped carry the team to the Super Bowl and within one yard of their second title in two years.

The 29-year-old Lynch is in the final year of a four-year contract valued at $31 million. The proposed extension would give him the second highest base salary for all running backs next year, behind only Adrian Peterson.

While Marshawn Lynch still hasn’t spoken publicly about whether he plans to play this year, Schneider said he is ready for a decision one way or the other.

“I’m not over it – Do I wake up in cold sweats? When you wake in the morning and think about it, absolutely, it’s something that will stick with us forever,” Schneider said. “And it will keep driving us to get better.”

“I’ve talked to his people a bunch,” Schneider added. “He knows we want him to play.”

Coach Pete Carroll was optimistic that Lynch would return, telling reporters Friday, “We’ve never thought of the future without him. Hopefully, it will work out.”

But others have indicated that he could be serious about plans to retire. Former teammate Michael Robinson, who himself retired after last season, said Lynch was seriously considering leaving football before the season even began.

If the retirement rumors are true, the Seattle Seahawks may have contingency plans to replace Marshawn Lynch. Some draft experts believe they could go after the best running back available at the No. 31 position, which depending on how the first round shakes out could be Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon or Georgia’s Todd Gurley.

[Image via Fox Sports]

Share this article: Seattle Seahawks Rumors: Team Hoping To Keep Marshawn Lynch From Retiring By Offering $12 Million Next Year
More from Inquisitr