Seahawks general manager John Schneider held his press conference at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, and as you might expect, there were plenty of questions about Marshawn Lynch’s future. Schneider said there’s still no clarity from Lynch on his plans for 2015.
“Not yet,” Schneider said. “Everybody needs time away, especially at that position, the way he runs the ball, a little time to hit the reset button. I’ve talked to his people a bunch, he knows we want him to play, so we’re just going to wait.”
Schneider was asked if he would be shocked if Lynch decided to retire, and said he wouldn’t be: “Not really. He’s a guy who just kind of beats to his own drum. He does what he wants, and he would never let you know one way or another. There’s been a lot of great running backs who have just walked away, so I have no idea.”
That’s not to say, however, that Lynch has given any indications that he plans to walk away.
“No he hasn’t really,” Schneider said. “He’s the ultimate teammate. Players love him, he’s awesome with everybody in the building, so he’d really be missed. He hasn’t given us an indication that he would leave or anything, I was just asked a question of if it would surprise me, and it wouldn’t just based on the individual. He works his tail off; that’s a hard job he has.”
Schneider wouldn’t say when the Seahawks need an answer from Lynch, but indicated they’ve relayed that information to Lynch’s representatives, saying, “We’d like to know soon. I’ve talked to his people, so they know.”
—Also of note, Schneider said the Seahawks hope to keep cornerback Byron Maxwell, who will be a free agent when the new league year starts in March, but he also sounded like somebody resigned to the fact that the Seahawks might not be able to keep Maxwell.
“Byron’s one of ours, it would be hard to see him leave, but I would think his market would be pretty strong,” Schneider said. “He’s a heck of a kid and a heck of a player. We’re going to keep doing things like the way we started here. We’re going to keep drafting people and playing young people and trying to keep the players we can keep—try to identify the players that we have to reward—then make those tough decisions about players who are under contract you may have to let go to create some cap room. Those are tough decisions as you go, but we’re not changing anything we do. So if Byron does move on, we’ll be hopefully having another young Byron Maxwell out there.”
—When asked about having the last pick in the first round last year—a pick Seattle traded, moving back into the second round—Schneider made no secret of the fact that Seattle is willing to move back again this year from the 31st pick. That’s hardly a surprise considering the Seahawks have traded back from their first pick in each of the past three drafts.
“The 31st is even more valuable,” Schneider said with a smile when asked about pick No. 32. “It’s worth a lot, if anybody’s listening. You can come get it, it’s worth a lot. We’re in the trust tree.”
—On a potential Russell Wilson extension, Schneider said there’s “no timeline. I’ve talked to his people, they know where we’re at.”
—After his press conference, Schneider told some members of the media that cornerback Jeremy Lane suffered a knee injury in addition to his broken arm on his Super Bowl interception return and may not be ready for the start of the season. Given the lack of optimism on Maxwell, that only further underscores Seattle’s need to add depth at cornerback.
—Schneider also confirmed that Seattle won’t use the franchise tag, which is no surprise considering franchising Maxwell would cost around $13 million. None of the Seahawks’ other free agents would really even be in consideration for the franchise tag.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
