The Seattle Seahawks have been banking off the star power of Marshawn Lynch, letting his production on the field overshadow any antics off the field. However, recent reports say the Seahawks might be wearing thin of Lynch as the offense struggles a bit over the past few weeks. After the team opted to not trade Lynch at the deadline, will he be a salary cap casualty in 2015?
The Seahawks have threatened the future of Lynch in the past. Several NFL sources reported during the offseason that the Seahawks warned the running back that he was at risk of getting released due to his high salary. The result was Lynch holding out in hopes of inking a new contract sooner rather than later. The Seahawks did not fold at the demands and Lynch eventually reported to training camp. He also survived the trade deadline, but will he continue to get lucky when the next offseason rolls around?
ESPN was the first to report that the Seahawks were getting tired of Lynch. Chris Mortensen reported that no one is expecting Lynch to be back with the Seahawks in 2015 and he could either be traded or outright released come the offseason. At the moment, Lynch ranks third in the league in running backs with 420 yards and three touchdowns this season. Head coach Pete Carroll is doing his best to downplay any perceived drama surrounding the running back's status on the team.
"I have nothing to say about that because there is nothing to that ," Carroll said, via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. "At this point I don't think it behooves us to try to respond to all of these things. Our players have told you how they feel, our coaches have told you how we feel about it and we are in a really good place right now. ... there is nothing to that report. I don't know where that came from."
Lynch is set to earn another $5 million next season, but that will not stop teams from showing interest in a trade. The running back market is weak so if the Seahawks favor a trade of the running back, they might want to lower their expectations of what an aging Lynch is worth. Teams like the Oakland Raiders, Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins will certainly be interested in acquiring Lynch, but will not give up a lot to get him.
