Marshawn Lynch will hold out of Seattle Seahawks training camp because he is unhappy with his contract.
The starting running back for the defending Super Bowl champions phoned former teammate Michael Robinson during a commercial break on NFL Network and told him he wouldn’t report to camp.
“Marshawn Lynch just called me, we just talked,” Robinson said. “He said he will be holding out from training camp this year with the Seahawks.”
Lynch, who ran for 1,257 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, has two more years remaining on a four-year, $30 million deal. He is scheduled to make $5 million in the upcoming season.
The former first-round draft pick is 28, which for a running back makes him an old player. Lynch’s combative running style also puts him at an even greater risk for injury at a position that already is incredibly demanding physically. That won’t help his chances of securing a new deal.
Perhaps Lynch looked at what just happened with Jamaal Charles in Kansas City and is hoping for a similar outcome. Charles reportedly decided to hold out of camp, but he came to an agreement on a new contract that will make him the second-highest paid running back in the league. Charles is 27, has a history of injuries and doesn’t have the playoff pedigree as Lynch.
