Marshawn Lynch is back in the NFL, as a trade between the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks landed Lynch in Oakland for the next two seasons.
Beast Mode is back in the NFL, as the Oakland Raiders finally signed their newest running back on Wednesday. Marshawn Lynch passed his physical, grabbed his new Raiders helmet, and actually left the facility with the helmet still on. He is obviously excited about playing for his hometown Raiders, who appear to be a favorite to win the AFC in 2017.
The deal was finalized by the physical, but it took a while to get there. The Raiders and Seattle Seahawks swapped late round picks in the 2018 NFL Draft, making Lynch property of Oakland. Lynch’s deal with the Raiders is for two years, with a base salary of $9 million. The former Pro Bowler can early over $16 million if he hits his incentives during his time with the Silver and Black.
Staying in the AFC West, it appears the Denver Broncos quarterbacks are in for a long battle. New head coach Vance Joseph is leaving the position up for the taking, which means Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch have a lot of work ahead of them. Siemian beat out Lynch last season, but as a former first round pick, Lynch will have every opportunity to win the job this preseason.
One quarterback whose status with their team is in limbo is Teddy Bridgewater, who may not have his option picked up by the Minnesota Vikings. Bridgewater was one of the rising stars in football before blowing up his knee on a non-contact injury this past preseason. Minnesota then swung a deal for Sam Bradford, who looks to be entrenched as the team’s starter for at least the 2017 NFL season.
Speaking of quarterback, could Mitchell Trubisky actually be the first player selected in the first round of the NFL Draft tonight? The signal-caller from the University of North Carolina is the best quarterback in the draft class this year, but most believe he is not worthy of a first overall pick. However, the Cleveland Browns are kicking around that idea, and based on their history of picks, it would surprise no one if they passed up on consensus first overall selection Myles Garrett of Texas A&M.
Next: NFL: 15 Biggest Draft Busts Of All-Time
Finally, some more sad news continues to come out of the Aaron Hernandez saga. Hernandez took his life last Wednesday, hanging himself with a bed sheet only five days after being acquitted of double-murder. The former star tight end for the New England Patriots had been talking about suicide in the weeks leading up to his death, which is still a shock to nearly ever person close to him.