Seattle Seahawks Rumors: Marshawn Lynch Really Done In Seattle?
Seattle Seahawks rumors about Marshawn Lynch predict a split is coming. Lynch may be done with the Seahawks after undergoing surgery for a sports hernia earlier in the week. A report from CBS Sports now states that the team may decide to part ways with Lynch during the NFL offseason. With Thomas Rawls stepping up as a possible replacement as the starting running back, it could make financial sense for Seattle to move on without Lynch.
It’s possible that Lynch is done for the season and that Rawls will get asked to take over the full-time duties. The Seahawks have decided to wait and see how the recovery from surgery goes; the team has yet to place Lynch on injured reserve. This leaves the possibility on the table that he could return in time for the 2016 NFL Playoffs, but also delays what might be a reality for the franchise. It isn’t a surgery that heals quickly, either, with Lynch expected to miss the next four games at a minimum.
In seven games with the Seahawks this season, Lynch has rushed for 417 yards on 111 carries. That’s an average of just 3.8 yards per carry, making it the worst season that Lynch has had in Seattle. It is way off the pace of 4.7 yards per carry that he had last season and he won’t get close to the 1,306 yards he amassed on the ground. Lynch also has 80 receiving yards and three touchdowns, but those numbers are also down from what he posted in the 2015 NFL season.
Marshawn Lynch is under contract for two more seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, with salaries of $9 million in 2016 and $7 million in 2017. He also has a roster bonus of $3 million if he is still with the Seahawks in 2017. Counting his signing bonus, Lynch has a cap hit of $11.5 million in 2016 and $12.5 million in 2017. If the team decides to cut ties with Lynch and go with Rawls instead, there could be a huge monetary savings in store for the front office.
Thomas Rawls is on pace to go past 1,000 rushing yards this year, adding to the Seattle Seahawks rumors about what the team will decide to do next. He is already at 604 rushing yards through the first 10 games and has averaged just over six yards per carry. That includes rushing for 209 yards against the San Francisco 49ers and 169 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals. An important part of the equation is that Rawls makes just $525,000 in 2016 and just $615,000 in 2017. For a starting running back in the NFL, that makes him an extreme bargain.
Losing a player like Marshawn Lynch, who rushed for 1,590 yards in the 2012 NFL season, could be tough for the Seahawks to endure. He has a lot of postseason experience and has come up big for the franchise time and time again. If Thomas Rawls continues to play like he has so far this season, though, the transition from Lynch to Rawls as the primary back for Russell Wilson could be an easy one. Fans should expect many more Seattle Seahawks rumors about the situation until it gets settled in the NFL offseason.
Has Lynch played his final game in Seattle?
[Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images]
