Marshawn Lynch Contract In Place With Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks Agree To Marshawn Lynch Trade

Marshawn Lynch, contract in place, will soon be with the Oakland Raiders. As Lynch unretires, the Seattle Seahawks trade will net the team an asset, with early reports stating it is a late-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. The Lynch-to-Raiders talk has been taking place for nearly the entire NFL offseason, but now it finally appears close to a conclusion. This will allow both franchises to focus entirely on the 2017 NFL Draft, with the first round set to begin on Thursday evening (April 27).

A report by KIRO News out of Seattle relayed the fact that Beast Mode will be suiting up in different colors this season. Social media is seeing mixed reactions from fans, many of whom would have liked to see the veteran running back return for another year with the Seahawks. Others feel betrayed, especially with how inexpensive the new Marshawn Lynch contract appears to be for the Oakland Raiders.

If the reports are true, Lynch is taking a rather large pay cut to return to the NFL. As it stands, Lynch would now make a base salary of $3 million for the 2017 NFL season, with a chance to make an additional $2 million if he rushes for 1,000 yards. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the former Marshawn Lynch contract would pay him a base salary of $9 million in 2017 and then $7 million in 2018. That second season also included a roster bonus of $3 million.

As for the Marshawn Lynch trade details, the Seahawks are sending the rights to the former Pro Bowl running back in exchange for a better pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. The Raiders will give up a fifth-round selection, while the Seahawks will send back a sixth-round selection. This guarantees that the Seahawks get “something” for dealing the rights to a running back who is convinced he still has something to offer on the field.

Before this new Marshawn Lynch contract can be approved by the Oakland Raiders and the NFL, Beast Mode first has to pass a physical with his new team. Once that is done, he also has to officially unretire, which in itself is simply a formality allowing him to be on the field again. As NFL players receive pensions once they retire from the league, this is one reason why the paperwork is necessary before he can suit up with the Raiders. It also requires commissioner approval, but nothing suggests Roger Goodell would stand in the way of Lynch unretiring.

There have been many, many Seattle Seahawks rumors this offseason, ranging from Marshawn Lynch unretiring to a Richard Sherman trade with the New England Patriots. Fans of the team will be quite ecstatic when the dust has settled and the preseason games are finally underway. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the Seahawks have a Week 1 game against the Green Bay Packers. That road game will be a tough way to open the 2017 NFL season, but the Seahawks do get to play the lowly San Francisco 49ers at home in Week 2.

The Oakland Raiders schedule has the team also opening on the road, with a Week 1 game against the Tennessee Titans. The home opener for the Raiders comes in Week 2 when the team hosts the New York Jets. Discounting the two home preseason games and the summer practices open to the public, that will be the first time that fans get to see the new Marshawn Lynch jersey. With a lot of local fans in the Oakland area, some NFL analysts have even suggested this is a publicity stunt, but Beast Mode is reportedly still in great shape.

With this new Marshawn Lynch contract in place, it will still leave the Oakland Raiders with a lot of salary cap space heading into the 2017 NFL Draft. This gives the team flexibility to not only pull off a trade or two, but it also gives the franchise some room to offer quarterback Derek Carr a contract extension midseason. That might be the long-term plan, as locking up Carr before the move to Las Vegas will be one of the most important endeavors the front office undertakes this year.

Fans of the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks should expect the Marshawn Lynch trade to become official and be approved by the league as early as Wednesday evening (April 26).

[Featured Image by Rob Carr/Getty Images]