The Seattle Seahawks started out the 2014 season viewing it as possibly the final year with running back Marshawn Lynch.
The tide now appears to be shifting in Lynch’s direction in Seattle.
According to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport, the Seahawks are now open to the possibility of keeping Lynch at his salary of $5 million per year.
“Mainly because he (Lynch) actually has outperformed his contract and clearly established himself as the identity of this team”, Rapoport claimed. “Basically, they don’t have a choice based on the way he plays to bring him back.”
The bottom line is Lynch is a staple and the best offensive player the Seahawks have. Lynch accounted for 36.8 percent of Seattle’s scrimmage yards during the regular season, which was the fifth-highest in the NFL. He’s also responsible for 39 percent of the Seahawks’ offensive touches.
Lynch doesn’t come without his share of drama. From his closed-mouth approach when speaking to the media to his latest stunt of wanting to wear gold cleats, Lynch carries a high-maintenance label.
There’s also the possibility that Lynch just hangs up those gold cleats after this season. He has privately spoken about just walking away from it all if the Seahawks win another Super Bowl. All we know, is we probably won’t hear much personally from Lynch on the matter anytime soon.