Seattle Seahawks: Should Marshawn Lynch just retire?

The mercurial Marshawn Lynch is entering the final year of a four-year $31 million contract. There is speculation that the soon to be 29-year old bruising running back of the Seattle Seahawks will call it quits before next season begins. The question now becomes whether or not the man known as “Beast Mode” should officially enter retirement mode.

Drafted in 2007, Lynch enjoyed some initial success in the NFL as a member of the Buffalo Bills. Lynch rushed for over 1,000 yards in his first two seasons in the league and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl. However, things fizzled out in Buffalo for Lynch after some off-the-field issues derailed his promising career.

In 2009, the former Cal Bear netted just 450 yards on the ground for the Bills. Shipped off to Seattle in 2010 for fourth- and fifth-round draft choices, Lynch rejuvenated his career as a member of the Seahawks. Since joining Seattle, Lynch has eclipsed 1,200 yards rushing in four of his five seasons with the team.

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In addition to rebuilding his career, Lynch’s hard-nosed running style and his love for Skittles candy has endeared him to the Seattle Seahawks’ fan base. After working this hard to carve out an impressive pro career, why should “Beast Mode” walk away now? For one, while Lynch’s skills on the field have rarely been an issue, his skills in dealing with the media leave plenty to be desired. Marshawn Lynch led the league in fines this year as he had to cough up just north of $131,000, mostly for refusing to cooperate with his NFL media obligations.

Dec 21, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (24) breaks a tackle by Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Alex Okafor (57) during a 79 yard touchdown run in the second half at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

In short, if Lynch wants his non-stop media attention to simply go away, retirement seems like an excellent option. I fully understand that those in the media can be snakes looking to create a controversy that isn’t really there. Therefore, Lynch’s trepidation with the media is completely justified in my opinion. Having said that, if Lynch really doesn’t want to say anything to the media, it would be so easy for camera shy superstar to simply pepper the media with cliche after cliche.

Quotes like “I’m giving it 110 percent” and “we have to play Seattle Seahawks football” as well as the old Rasheed Wallace jewel “both teams played hard” would surely suffice. However, Lynch’s unwillingness or inability to play along with the media has cost him thousands of dollars and put an even bigger target on his chest.

If Marshawn Lynch does in fact walk away from the final year of his contract with the Seattle Seahawks, he will essentially be losing out on at least $8.5 million not including incentives. This would certainly be a tough pill to swallow for someone who’s only here so he won’t get fined. Not to mention, Lynch would be letting down his beloved teammates, as well as the city of Seattle, if he hangs up his cleats for good.

I think it would be hard for Lynch to disappoint an entire city and an organization that has steadfastly supported him throughout his struggles with the media. And without Lynch in the backfield, Seattle’s chances to capture another Lombardi trophy go right down the tubes as far as I’m concerned.

Lynch shows no signs of slowing down as his level of play will likely be similar to what we saw from him last season barring injury. Therefore, if I were advising Lynch, I would encourage him not to let the media bully him into giving up his passion of playing football. Instead, do a better job of putting up with the NFL media circus for just one more season before calling it quits. Lynch has come up with a series of memorable Marshawn-isms, and as long as he sticks to this game plan, the media will likely appreciate asking him even more questions.

Lynch will be 30 years old by the start of the 2016 season, the magical age at which NFL running backs start to rapidly decline. At that point, the Seahawks will probably be looking to phase him out of their offense anyway. That being said, I would have no problem if Lynch decided to pack his bags with Skittles and ride off into the sunset after the 2015 season .

Next: Seattle Seahawks: Nick Fairley, Henry Melton options?

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