NFL Trade Rumors: Raiders Still Want Marshawn Lynch From Seattle Seahawks, Won’t Affect NFL Draft Pick

The latest NFL rumors for the Oakland Raiders indicate that the team still has an interest in acquiring retired Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch. In addition to that, it’s been reported that the Raiders won’t let the situation with Lynch or with their suspended linebacker affect how they go about making a selection in the upcoming NFL Draft.

On Friday, ESPN.com reported that Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie stated their draft board won’t be affected by Lynch’s status. The team has also said they wouldn’t mind an answer ahead of the draft, which starts on Thursday. While it’s been noted the team wants to have the star running back as part of their roster, it’s still possible if there is an attractive option available on the board.

On Friday, McKenzie addressed the media during a press conference about the draft, when the topic of Lynch also was brought up.

“At some point, you’d like to know and prior to the draft is that point. Our door is open and we’re not shutting the door until that time, pretty much.”

Lynch came into the league as the No. 12 pick in the 2007 NFL Draft out of California. He started off playing for the Buffalo Bills for four seasons, before being traded to the Seattle Seahawks for a bunch of draft picks. Lynch spent six seasons with Seattle, ultimately winning a Super Bowl ring in 2014. In the big game against the Broncos, Lynch went for 39 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries to assist in the 43-8 blowout victory.

For his career, Lynch tallied 9,112 yards on 2,144 carries while racking up 74 touchdowns. He’s also had nearly 2,000 yards receiving to go with 10 touchdowns by air. The five-time Pro Bowl player would bring the Raiders team five seasons of playoff experience. They’d also add him to a backfield with talents that include Latavius Murry, Jalen Richard, and DeAndre Washington, as well as quarterback Derek Carr.

The star back known as “Beast Mode” announced his retirement in February of last year, on the same day as Super Bowl 50 via Twitter. However, this month, rumors kicked into full gear when it was learned that the running back had signed a deal with the Oakland Raiders and would become a part of the roster once the Seahawks traded him. So far, a trade has yet to be made official.

A recent tweet from Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the holdup in terms of getting Lynch on board with the Raiders is a money issue. The team is apparently offering him one-third of the $9 million Seattle would have to pay him for a return next season. Lynch seems to want at least half that amount, which has caused things to hit a snag. It looks like if this continues to present a problem going forward, the Raiders won’t have any issue with looking to the NFL draft for some help at the spot.

Based on recent NFL mock drafts, Dalvin Cook may be the only running back near the Raiders’ draft spot, but NFL.com lists him as going No. 19 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That’s five picks ahead of where Oakland will draft next week. The team could possibly make a trade to move up or even gamble on Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon, who has been pegged as the No. 41 pick for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Mixon’s off-field issue from several years ago, where he was caught on camera punching a female in the face, has raised some concerns amongst teams in terms of adding him to the roster. However, a recent ESPN report said Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie said their impression of Mixon was that he came across as a “good kid” during their meeting. McKenzie also added that his “gut” feeling would be a determining factor on whether the team drafts a certain player. Of course, if Marshawn Lynch has been added to the roster by then, that could make a running back not as pressing of a need.

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