Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider said on Friday that he expects star running back Marshawn Lynch to retire following this season, via 710 ESPN Seattle. Lynch is leaning toward retirement after a difficult season in which he managed to play in only seven regular season games, according to NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport.
The Seahawks running back will turns 30 years during the offseason and finished the year with only three touchdowns, the lowest since arriving in Seattle. If Lynch retires he would owe the Seahawks $5 million in bonus money, so many expect the star running back to wait for the franchise to release him, according to Pro Football Talk.
Lynch is 36th on the NFL's all-time career rushing yards leaders and has been a huge part of Seattle's success the past few seasons. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said he was unsure how Lynch's future would go in Seattle and said he was unsure of multiple players' futures with the Seahawks.
The Seahawks front office will have plenty of decisions to make this offseason, as both wide receiver Jermaine Kearse and linebacker Bruce Irvin are expected to become unrestricted free agents. Irvin has stated that he would be willing to take a hometown discount to stay in Seattle, but Kearse is looking for the best deal for himself and his family.
The Seahawks are likely feeling confident in the end of Lynch's era in Seattle, and that is due to running back Thomas Rawls and his explosive rookie season. The undrafted rookie running back's season was ended early after breaking his ankle in week 14, but he had shown enough to the Seahawks' front office that he could lead them in the future.
Rawls rushed for 830 yards and scored four touchdowns this year and had four games with more than 100 yards rushing, proving in Lynch's absence to be a viable option down the road. The era of Beast Mode in Seattle seems to be coming to an end, and it will be interesting to see how this all plays out as the Seahawks front office is clearly moving forward.
