The Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl for the 2013 season, but with Russell Wilson likely getting a massive contract extension worth near $20 million per year in the future and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell saying the team will be a RB by committee offense with Marshawn Lynch and Christine Michael in 2014, there is a chance the team could be forced to trade Lynch in the future if his salary demands get too high after being massively productive and winning a championship.
The Seahawks obviously are not shopping Lynch or looking to trade him now, but a split could be coming in the future depending on how a few things play out, including him staying away from team activities this offseason. Lynch is signed to a four year deal worth $30 million and he has outplayed that contract and that could be one reason why he has stayed away and Bevell has made comments saying that the team will use more of a running back by committee this season with Christine Michael. Whether that was a threat or not to Lynch remains to be seen, but stemming back trop last season the Hawks have said they love what Michael is doing and clearly they want him to get the ball more this season.
The Seahawks won the Super Bowl on the strength of their defense last season and while Lynch and Russell Wilson played great, no one would say that the Seahawks offense was the reason why the team won. According to ESPN.com, Pete Carroll and Bevell have been focusing on the offense more this offseason and that is one reason why Lynch and Michael have been in focus. Lynch is an unrestricted free agent after next season (not 2014, but 2015) and that means a split could be coming depending on what happens with Russell Wilson and his contract.
The Seahawks have signed Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman while also keeping a number of important players after the Super Bowl and Wilson's deal now is the next one to watch for. Colin Kaepernick signed a $126 million extension this year and he has not even won a Super Bowl and now ESPN.com reports that Wilson could command $20 million per season when he is up for an extension. A deal like that makes the salary cap hard to manage and someone like Lynch could be a player that gets hurt because of that.
ESPN.com writes that Wilson has a better record in the playoffs and overall than Kaepernick with a 24-8 record in the regular season and a 4-1 record in the postseason and that could lead to an even bigger deal. Wilson has better numbers and a better record with 3,357 yards, 26 TDs and nine interceptions last season and now he has a championship as well. The report posits that if Kaep makes $18 million on average per season, Wilson should be worth at least $20 million.
The biggest issues all running backs now face in this new NFL is age, value of the position and money and it's as simple as that for some players and that is why Lynch could go.
