RENTON — What’s next for Marshawn Lynch?
As the Seattle Seahawks head into the offseason, perhaps the biggest question surrounds the fate of the team’s star running back.
Lynch is Seattle’s Beast Mode. In six seasons with the Seahawks he’s accumulated 6,347 yards on the ground, been a key cog in the team becoming an annual Super Bowl contender, and provided many a lasting image of defenders being run over.
But the combination of age, an injury-plagued season, the emergence of a successor and an expensive contract could mean Lynch has played his final game in a Seahawks uniform.
“I don’t know how that’s going to go,” Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said when asked his feeling on whether Lynch will play for Seattle next season.
Lynch had been Mr. Dependable for the Seahawks, missing only one game during his first five seasons with Seattle. However, that changed this season. Lynch missed two games early in the season because of a hamstring injury, then missed the final seven games of the regular season and the first of the playoffs because of an abdominal injury. Lynch is 29, which is old for an NFL running back, and he’s put a lot of difficult miles on his body because of his physical style of running.
“We’ll figure it out,” Carroll said about where Lynch fits into the picture, noting that he didn’t think Lynch was all the way back to 100 percent for Sunday’s season-ending loss at Carolina. “It depends on how he comes back, and how he works it, and all that kind of stuff. He had a difficult year physically. He’s never been having to recover from an injury like that, he’s never had to deal with that kind of process. He made it back. To his credit he certainly worked hard to get back, and he made it back to play.”
Lynch is scheduled to make $11.5 million next season. The Seahawks can save $6.5 million against the salary cap should they cut ties with Lynch.
Lynch did not take the opportunity of the season’s end to break his media silence. There have been whispers about the possibility of retirement, and even Carroll doesn’t know Lynch’s intentions for next season.
“I have not gotten that indication (if Lynch wants to return),” Carroll said. “I don’t know. Everything is just normal right now.”
Does Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson think Lynch will be back?
“I don’t know about all that stuff, I have no idea,” Wilson answered. “But in terms of a football player he’s phenomenal. He’s been a guy who’s been a great leader in terms of his physical nature on the football field and his approach to the game. He has a cool, calming presence out there. He’s one of the greatest running backs to play.”
Also affecting the situation with Lynch was the emergence of Thomas Rawls. The Seahawks unearthed Lynch’s apparent successor in the form of the undrafted rookie, who came out of nowhere to gain 830 yards and lead the NFL with 5.6 yards per carry.
“It’s going to be great,” Carroll said about getting Rawls back for next season. “He had a fantastic start, and he has a great attitude. He’s a great kid. It will be really fun to put him back out there and see how he does. Now we know what we have, so it’ll be even more exciting. He’s confident that he’ll get it done, and he’s got plenty of time.”
The concern with Rawls is whether he’ll be healthy in time for next season. Rawls suffered a broken ankle and ligament damage during Seattle’s 35-6 victory at Baltimore in Week 14. The ligament damage is the more serious part of the injury, and Rawls was rolling around the locker room Monday on a scooter that kept his left leg off the ground.
“I should be out of the cast within the next week,” Rawls said. “I really don’t want to go into detail about it, but I am feeling better. I’m pain free and just starting rehab.”
When asked if he’ll be ready for training camp, Rawls answered: “I’ll be ready.”
Lynch isn’t the only impact player under contract with whom the Seahawks will have to make a decision. Strong safety Kam Chancellor and defensive end Michael Bennett, both named to this year’s Pro Bowl, have openly expressed discontent with their contracts. Chancellor went as far as holding out throughout all of training camp and preseason, as well as sitting out the first two games of the season.
Chancellor and Bennett want their contracts redone, but the Seahawks have a policy of not renegotiating contracts until there’s just one year left. Chancellor and Bennett both have two years remaining on their deals.
“There’s all kinds of stuff we’re going to be working on,” Carroll said. “There’s tons of stuff. I’m not going to single anything out right now because there’s no way I can do that and be talking straight with you, because I don’t know. We don’t know at this point. We have a lot of thoughts, and we’re just going to start putting them together over the next few weeks.”
Check out Nick Patterson’s Seattle Sidelines blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/seattlesidelines, and follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.
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