As of now, the Seattle Seahawks have no idea what the future holds for running back Marshawn Lynch. Lynch is said to be mulling retirement at the moment, and even if he does return he will likely expect a new contract. All of this uncertainty has put Seahawks general manager John Schneider in an uncomfortable place.
It's not as if Seattle can plug someone already on the roster into Lynch's spot and expect the same production. Robert Turbin and Christine Michael are fine players, but neither has proven to be a consistent every-down player. They won't all of a sudden match Lynch's top marks in carries (1,346), rushing yards (5,930) and rushing touchdowns (54) over the last five seasons. That's why Schneider is hoping for a decision on the earlier side, so he can start going through his back-up options. To be honest, the alternatives don't sound too shabby.
"The market consists of two prime candidates: DeMarco Murray and Adrian Peterson," Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote. "As to the former, there's a chance the Cowboys won't work out a long-term deal and won't apply the franchise tag, allowing Murray to hit the market. As to the latter, the Seahawks make plenty of sense for a veteran tailback with a burning desire for a championship."
The possibility of Jerry Jones losing Murray to free agency is a realistic one. The Cowboys do have to re-sign star wideout Dez Bryant as well, after all. And if Peterson doesn't restructure his massive contract, he'll likely be cut by the Vikings. Both ball carriers would fit in well behind Seattle's mauling offensive line and run-first scheme. Another possible replacement could be found in the NFL draft in Georgia running back Todd Gurley. Regardless of how many viable Plan B's Schneider has lined up, his preference is for Lynch to return to Seattle in 2015.
Unfortunately, we might have to wait a bit to find out if that will be the case.
