Seattle Seahawks Rumors: Marshawn Lynch Could Retire Despite ‘Huge’ Contract Extension Offer

The Seattle Seahawks have ridden Marshawn Lynch to two Super Bowls, and now the team is trying to lock down the Pro Bowl running back for what could be the remainder of his career — if he decides to play any longer.

Lynch led the NFL this season with 17 touchdowns and had 1,306 yards rushing, and then put the team on his back in the playoffs.

Marshawn Lynch’s contract runs through the 2015 season, but would bring an $8.5 million salary cap hit. The Seahawks can save $7 million next year by releasing Lynch, which once seemed a strong possibility.

But now the Seattle Seahawks are trying to lock down Marshawn Lynch. Sources close to the team say he was offered a “huge” contract extension across multiple years.

NFL.com has some details of the deal.

“The deal is believed to include more than $10 million for Lynch in the 2015 season alone. Lynch currently is slated to make $5 million in 2015, the final year of what originally was a four-year, $31 million deal.”

The extension would be quite a turnaround from earlier in the year. Sources said that Lynch’s difficult personality, his cool relationship with the team’s coaching staff, and his advanced age were leading the team toward cutting Lynch. But the Super Bowl run has increased Lynch’s value with the team.

General manager John Schneider indicated during the buildup to the Super Bowl that the team had every intention of bringing Lynch back next year.

“He’s under contract next year and he’s a warrior,” Schneider said on January 24. “He goes out there every weekend and lays it on the line. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a better running back in the National Football League.”

But Marshawn Lynch could decide to walk away from it all. Some rumors indicate that the Seattle Seahawks running back might be leaning toward retirement after the Super Bowl.