Marshawn Lynch rumors: Asked for release from Seahawks
If Marshawn Lynch wants to come out of retirement, the Seattle Seahawks will have to relinquish his rights.
With Thursday’s tease from Oakland Raiders radio announcer Greg Papa that the team was looking to sign a retired running back, the name of Oakland native Marshawn Lynch immediately surfaced. Confirmation from ESPN’s Adam Schefter of the Raiders considering a run at Lynch means little, beyond the fact the Seattle Seahawks hold Lynch’s rights on the reserved/retired list and it could be considered tampering if the Raiders have already talked to him.
Lynch could, in theory, as Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio laid out, file a request to return with the league office, show up for the offseason program with the Seahawks and thus reinstate his $9 million salary (and salary cap hit) onto Seattle’s books. That would force the Seahawks to trade or release him, or possibly keep him if they choose, but Lynch has reportedly chosen a simpler approach to his potential NFL return.
From Jordan Schultz of the Huffington Post:
Source: Marshawn Lynch met w/Pete Carroll+Schneider yesterday and asked to be released. Privately (w/friends) has been wearing #Raiders gear
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 17, 2017
Lynch apparently met with Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider on Thursday and asked for his release. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo has reported Thursday’s trip to the Seahawks’ facility was “more of a personal visit than anything” for Lynch, as he was in town for another event.
But Lynch’s retirement a year ago always seemed like a soft decision, and if a return to play for the Raiders is at all on his radar the subject had to be brought up. Personal, business or some combination of both that I say tilted toward business, Lynch’s visit to the Seahawks had a purpose beyond the randomness of his being in town.
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Though it’s hard to see them playing real hardball with Lynch, the Seahawks could become a fly in the ointment and try to get something in a trade from the Raiders. If the situation becomes too difficult to navigate Lynch could just decide he’d like to stay retired, which would not be a surprise given his history.