Marshawn Lynch: What would happen if he retires?

By Luis Tirado Jr. | Feb 22, 2015

Marshawn Lynch is quite popular these days, especially for an athlete that refuses to say much of anything about the game he plays and if he even plans to finish playing to the end of his contract. At the current moment his future is up in the air since he’s so unpredictable, even the Seattle Seahawks have no idea what he plans to do between now and when next season arrives. The Seahawks continue to show their interest in keeping him by throwing a massive amount of money his way even though he hasn’t decided on anything yet.

According to Yahoo! Sports, the Seahawks have offered Lynch a multi-year deal that would give him up to $12 million the first year and $9 million the second. Apparently it’s a new three-year deal that is on the table waiting for Lynch to simply sign his name on. Ever since the Seahawks lost to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX, Lynch has kept quiet about his status to even return for another season in 2015. He even said he might just flat out retire.

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With a huge deal on the table and being able to play for one of the top teams of the NFL, Lynch would shock the football world if he retired anytime soon.

It would also make many question whether his career is one worthy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As it stands now, Lynch has 8,695 rushing yards with 71 touchdowns and a career 4.3 yards per attempt. Should he retire, it might not be enough to earn him a yellow jacket.

It’s hard to imagine how he could have even better playing years ahead of him considering all he’s done so far in his career. He’s at the peak of it and who knows what he can continue to accomplish with a few more years in the league. Perhaps with another three years or so of playing, he’ll surpass over 10,000 rushing yards and maybe even crack over 100 touchdowns. That would make that conversation more feasible for him to get a bronze bust and be enshrined forever.

Of course nobody really knows the current situation he’s in. Maybe the physical wear and tear of playing to such “beast mode” levels has taken a toll on his body. Perhaps he’s had enough of all the traveling and constant workload to the point where he just wants to enjoy the rest of his life with his family away from football. It’s hard to tell really but ultimately Lynch will decide one way or the other once he feels like it.

Lynch will be 29 years old entering next season and it would be somewhat shocking to see him retire after just eight seasons of playing in the NFL. He’s coming off one of the best seasons of his career with 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns as he is a major component on offense for the Seahawks. Should he retire, it would leave a massive void that will take quite some time for the Seahawks to replace to reach anywhere near the level of what Lynch delivered the moment he arrived on the team.

The Seahawks need to know exactly what Lynch plans to do sooner than later. It tremendously impacts their entire offseason since if he sticks around, they know they don’t have much to worry about on offense. If he retires, they will have to adjust their entire free agency strategies as well as the direction they will go in the 2015 NFL Draft. Lynch’s decision could potentially make or break their season next year since he had such a potent role on offense.

Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back

Marshawn Lynch

(24) against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

While there is no agreement to any deal at the current moment based on what NBC Sports is reporting, it’s not shocking to say the least. Lynch seems to love keeping people guessing and having the media spark up a storm on whether he’ll retire, return or agree to any new contract.

There is no guarantee whatsoever until he feels like saying something, even though his agent and the higher-ups of the Seahawks have been trying to get the parameters of this mega deal in place for him to legally commit.

Overall, nobody really knows what Lynch plans to do. One thing for sure is legions of football fans would be shocked to see him hang it up for good but to each their own is what I believe in. Even though the Seahawks are still going to be contending again next season, Lynch will do what is right for him, even if it means giving up an opportunity to play on such a fantastic team.

Should he retire, it would leave many wondering about the “what if” mantra. Similar to when running back Barry Sanders shockingly decided to retire out of nowhere, many fans were left wondering what else he could have accomplished had he kept playing. Should Lynch follow that same path, it’ll be the same scenario since I honestly believe we haven’t seen the best of him just yet as he’s at that peak to really take off.

Next: Seattle Seahawks will stay atop NFC with Marshawn Lynch

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