According to the rumor mill, Marshawn Lynch has asked for his release from the Seattle Seahawks so he can sign with the Oakland Raiders. Also according to the rumor mill, he has not. One thing that isn’t up for debate right now, however, despite conflicting reports, is that the Marshawn Lynch to Raiders rumors aren’t going away quickly.
Adding jet fuel to this particular fire, Lynch himself retweeted something that indicates Oakland wasn’t far from his mind as recently as Saturday.
https://twitter.com/ericthut22/status/843267568240660482
Now, if Lynch did come out of retirement he’d be obligated to play for Seattle, get them to release him or trade him.
Given his $9 million cap hit for the 2017 season, the fact Seattle signed Eddie Lacy to be Lynch’s replacement and his own apparent desire to play for his hometown Raiders, the only move that makes any sense is for the Seahawks to cut him loose (more on that here).
Of course, there is the possibility that all this chatter is nothing more than a huge billow of smoke. But typically, where this much smoke billows, some amount of real fire exists. We’ll be watching closely to see what — if anything — develops in the future.