Marshawn Lynch is reportedly “very unlikely” to be back with the Seattle Seahawks in 2016.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports shared this news Sunday morning, via NFL on CBS.
"Everything I'm hearing is it is very unlikely he's back there in 2016." – @JasonLaCanfora on Lynch's future in SEA pic.twitter.com/h6sxJ0mdNC
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 29, 2015
This news isn’t really that shocking, considering Lynch has been injured most of the season. And, while he’s been banged up, rookie running back Thomas Rawls has been making waves to the point where head coach Pete Carroll reluctantly compared him to NFL legend Earl Campbell.
Lynch’s 2015 campaign is a far cry from what we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from the once-elite running back. He’s averaged just 3.8 yards per carry, has rushed for 417 yards and has scored just three touchdowns. At this time he’s out of the lineup for a few weeks recovering from abdominal surgery.
His extended absence gives Rawls a chance to show what he’s capable of doing as the lead dog in Seattle’s rushing attack. He was absolutely unstoppable last weekend against the San Francisco 49ers at home, rushing for 209 yards and one touchdown on 30 carries — the kind of numbers you’d expect from “Beast Mode.”
If Rawls can continue putting up impressive numbers while Lynch recovers from surgery, then it seems probable the Seahawks would be willing to let an aging Lynch walk next year.
He’ll be 30 years old in 2016 and has been one of the most-worked running backs in the league since joining Seattle in 2010. He’s hit the inevitable barrier of physical breakdown that afflicts every NFL running back who is fortunate enough to play into their 30s, and the Seahawks are apparently ready to move on with the younger, cheaper Rawls.