Marshawn Lynch to the Oakland Raiders Kicks Off the NFL’s Silly Season
By Kevin Saito
The champion has been crowned, the last of the confetti has fallen, all of the trophies have been handed out, the lights in stadiums around the country have been shut off, and Marshawn Lynch is still waiting for the ball. And now that the Pete Carroll has gifted Tom Brady and the Patriots with yet another Super Bowl ring by virtue of one of the most horrific play calls in Super Bowl history, we can close the books on the 2014 NFL season.
And now begins the silly season.
After the Super Bowl, the landscape of the NFL becomes a dark and desolate place. Sports writers, media talking heads and fans alike are all left to their own devices to wander this barren landscape. Think Viggo Mortenson in the adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s brilliant book, The Road – with only slightly less cannibalism.
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It’s no wonder then, given the absolute dearth of actual, hard news and information that rumors, innuendos, and products of people’s imaginations seem to fill that void.
Enter the stories about Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch donning the Silver and Black of the Oakland Raiders in 2015. In an article that appeared in the San Jose Mercury News, writer Marcus Thompson II explores the possibility of Beast Mode landing in Oakland this offseason – something he calls a, “small window of opportunity.”
If there is a window of opportunity for the Raiders to land Lynch this offseason – small, medium, large, or otherwise – it might not exist anywhere but in Thompson’s mind. Let’s set aside the fact that Lynch is under contract to the Seahawks for the 2015 season for now. According to Pete Carroll himself, a guy presumably in a position to know a thing or two about these things, Seattle is currently negotiating a contract extension with Lynch.
Dec 14, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (24) is defended by San Francisco 49ers cornerback Dontae Johnson (36) at CenturyLink Field. The Seahawks defeated the 49ers 17-7. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
During a radio interview with a Seattle radio station, Carroll was asked about Lynch’s status, to which he replied, “We’ll see. We’ve been in the midst of negotiations for a long time for the future, so we’ll see how that goes.”
A recent report from the NFL Network claims that the extension being offered by the Seahawks would double Lynch’s pay in 2015, bumping him up to a nice, round $10 million for the season. Thompson points to the fact that the reported contract extension hasn’t yet been signed as smoking gun proof that Lynch is done with the Seahawks.
While some believe that Lynch and the Seahawks are heading toward a nasty, Jim Harbaugh/San Francisco 49er-esque divorce this offseason, given that they are actively trying to negotiate a longer term contract extension with their enigmatic running back would seem to argue otherwise. Carroll and the Seattle front office are smart and savvy enough to know that they have arguably, the best running back in the NFL – in his prime – locked down for at least one more year, and possibly more if a deal can be hammered out.
So, where exactly was that window of opportunity again?
Despite the fact that Lynch carries an $8.5 million dollar cap hit for the 2015 season, that Seattle already has several hefty contracts on the books, and QB Russell Wilson next up to be paid, the idea that the Seahawks would cut Lynch to save a few million bucks is as ridiculously absurd as throwing an inside slant on the goal line – oops. Too soon, Seattle fans?
Thompson seems to desperately want to believe that because of his ties to the Oakland community, the fact that his close friends say Beast Mode would love to play for the Raiders, and that the Raiders desperately need to establish a running game, that GM Reggie McKenzie will be able to pry Lynch out of the Pacific Northwest.
He acknowledges that Seattle is unlikely to cut him – spoiler alert, they won’t – but offers little in the way of an explanation of how McKenzie might actually pull off such a maneuver. He may be a smooth operator – according to some – but he’s not that smooth.
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Seattle has no incentive to cut him or trade him, and Oakland has no leverage even if they did. They don’t have tradeable assets that Seattle would want, and McKenzie is not about to give up his entire draft class for one player – who do you think he is, Mike Ditka going after Ricky Williams or something?
Yes, Lynch is temperamental. Yes, he’s a pain in the posterior. But a few crotch grabs and his incessant need to give the media – and the league – double middle fingers, will not deter Seattle from keeping him on their roster for 2015 and beyond, if they can help it. Averaging almost 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns a season is going to earn you some serious leeway. And let’s not overlook the fact that Lynch is absolutely the engine that drives the Seahawks’ offense.
It’s true that the Raiders desperately need to build a solid, powerful running game around Derek Carr. They need backs who can take over a game and keep defenses honest to take some of the pressure off of him as he continues to develop. They need productive backs who can balance out the Oakland offense to keep opposing defenses from teeing off on Carr every single play.
Lynch would be an amazing add to the Oakland backfield, there is no doubt. But it’s as likely to happen as Lynch having a sit down one-on-one, one hour, soul-baring sit down with Oprah. But, stories like these are to be expected now that the NFL’s silly season is in full swing.