Was the Seattle Seahawks’ loss to the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Divisional Round Marshawn Lynch’s last as an NFL player?
It certainly appears that way, as the Seahawks running back has told people close to him he plans to retire, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday, citing sources. Schefter added that Lynch’s teammates are still trying to change his mind.
Lynch appeared to be at the top of his game in the 2014 season, rushing for 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns. But the 29-year-old hit a wall in 2015, playing in just seven of Seattle’s 16 games and averaging just 3.8 yards per carry.
Lynch topped over 100 rushing yards in just one of those contests and underwent sports hernia surgery in late November that kept him out the remainder of the regular season. Unheralded backup Thomas Rawls picked up the five-time Pro Bowler’s slack with several big performances but also got injured in Week 14.
Some expected Lynch to play in the Seahawks’ Wild Card game against the Minnesota Vikings, but he was downgraded to out two days before Seattle’s eventual 10-9 win.
Lynch signed a two-year contract with the Seahawks worth $24 million in March 2015, and he would cost Seattle $11.5 million against the cap if he decides to lace them up in 2016. If Lynch does decide to walk away, though, he’ll apparently do so a rich man: According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the enigmatic running back hasn’t spent any of the $49.7 million he’s accrued over nine NFL seasons.
Thumbnail photo via Joe Nicholson/USA TODAY Sports Images
