Marshawn Lynch has mentioned the idea of retirement in the past, but this time it appears to be more serious than previous seasons. Battling chronic back issues, the running back must make a decision soon about his status for 2015 and beyond. Entering the final year of his contract, Lynch could either get a new deal from the Seahawks or retire for good. The Seattle Seahawks are prepared for both options.
According to Seahawks general manager John Schneider, there is no clarity on Lynch's future but it would not surprise him if the running back opted to return.
"You know? Not really," Schneider said, via NFL.com. "He's a guy that kind of beats to his own drum. He does what he wants. He would never let you know one way or the other. There's been a lot of great running backs that have just walked away. So I have no idea. We'll have to adjust, but we have to do that at every position, so we constantly have models and plans for what's coming. We'd just have to move forward with Plan B."
Schneider made it clear that Lynch is aware the Seahawks want him to return to the team if he opts to not retire. Pete Carroll told the media earlier in the offseason that the team and Lynch have begun negotiations for a contract extension, but he was not really sure what the status of that is. Russell Wilson's pending contract is currently the top priority for Seattle as they seem content to let Lynch figure things out on his own.
Plan B for Seattle at the running back position could mean a lot of things. Schneider expressed full confidence in backups Robert Turbin and Christine Michael to take over the running back spot, but neither player would be able to duplicate what Lynch did in the backfield. The Seahawks might feel forced to bring on a big name which could mean a number of players get looked at from a trade for Adrian Peterson or LeSean McCoy to DeMarco Murray and CJ Spiller.
The Seahawks have been smart with their salary cap space, but not enough to bring on the big contracts of Peterson and McCoy. They are simply too expensive. However, they could offer Murray a more generous offer than the Cowboys did or they could chase more affordable options. Spiller, Mark Ingram or Knowshon Moreno will not command that much money.
The Seahawks are in no rush for Lynch to make a decision. They will either get the running back to return for his final year of his contract or sign him to a more team-friendly deal. If he retires then they must start to really look at options.