Marshawn Lynch Trade Rumors: Pete Carroll Addresses Future Of Seattle Seahawks Running Back
Marshawn Lynch trade rumors? Have the Seattle Seahawks cut Lynch? Will Lynch simply retire from the NFL? Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll addressed the Lynch rumors, but he may not have the answers that fans are looking for this offseason. A report from NFL.com relayed some information from Carroll, beginning with answers to the question of whether or not Lynch will be on the Seahawks roster in 2016.
“I don’t know how that’s going to go. I don’t know how any of these guys are going to go right now. I don’t know.”
That short statement from Carroll sums up how a lot of fans feel about the situation between Lynch and the Seahawks. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the Seahawks could save a lot of money by simply giving Lynch his release during the NFL offseason. The Seahawks could save even more money by trading him to another team. This is where a lot of the Marshawn Lynch trade rumors stem from and not necessarily from teams that have expressed interest in acquiring the Pro Bowl running back.
Lynch’s contract will count as $11.5 million against the salary cap in the 2016 NFL season. The Seahawks could save $6.5 million by simply cutting Lynch but wouldn’t benefit from a possible draft pick that another team might send for him. There aren’t a lot of teams with money to burn this offseason, except the San Francisco 49ers, as the team has quite a bit of carryover from the 2015 season that it can now spend. Trades between division foes don’t happen very often, though, so it is unlikely that Lynch would get traded to the 49ers.
Many NFL analysts have been weighing in on potential landing spots for Marshawn Lynch. They include the Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders, and New England Patriots. The Cowboys have struggled since allowing DeMarco Murray to leave in free agency, and acquiring a running back like Lynch could make the team much tougher on offense. Oakland gets mentioned because it would allow Lynch to return home and play close to where he attended college (California). Then the Patriots get mentioned because the team often finds a way to get something out of aging veterans. Having him on the same offense as Rob Gronkowski cold be a treat for Patriots fans.
Despite all the Marshawn Lynch trade rumors, there are three scenarios much more likely to happen in the NFL offseason. In order of likelihood, the Seattle Seahawks could cut/release Lynch, the Seahawks could keep Lynch on the roster for the 2016 NFL season, or Lynch could decide to retire from football. A retirement would actually help the Seahawks a lot, as his guaranteed money would come off the books, allowing the team to spend it on other pending free agents.
Lynch is coming off an injury-filled season that only allowed him to play in seven regular season games and one playoff game. He rushed for 417 yards on 111 carries in the regular season, posting an ugly average of 3.8 yards per carry. During the 2014 NFL season, Lynch ran for 1,306 yards on 280 carries (4.7 yards per carry). He did look good in limited action against the Carolina Panthers in the playoffs, but it didn’t show whether or not he could survive being the primary back for another full season.
The chatter and rumors about Marshawn Lynch aren’t going to quiet down until the front office of the Seattle Seahawks makes an official announcement. If the team is intent on moving forward with Thomas Rawls as the full-time running back, then it could be just a matter of days or weeks until the team reveals that it has decided to cut Lynch.
[Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images]
