The Seattle Seahawks and Marshawn Lynch could be headed for a split in the future through a trade or his release, as the Pete Carroll could cut him as a salary cap casualty as the team tries to sign Russell Wilson to a new contract and if that happens, the Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals or New England Patriots could be potential options to get him.
Lynch has been one of the most productive players in the NFL during his time with the Seattle Seahawks, but he also has been an issue off the field. While Lynch has not had issues like other players like Ray Rice or Adrian Peterson, he has been a distraction numerous times, including with his contract holdout, absence from the White House ceremony and his demeanor with the media. According to ESPN.com reporter Chris Mortensen in a report from earlier this season, the Seahawks have grown "tired" of Lynch's act and that is why it's likely he won't be with the team in 2015.
Lynch has been a workhorse and he had over 100 yards against the Packers on Sunday to help the Seahawks into the Super Bowl. The team has Robert Turbin and Christine Michael as backups for Lynch and they can take over for him if he is gone, but that is a major talent drop off. NFL.com reports that there is a chance the team could bring back Lynch, as the team is "more open" than earlier in the season about bringing him back in 2015.
Lynch held out before the season for more money and MMQB reporter Peter King wrote that he ended up taking more money in 2014 rather than extending because he knew a split could be a likely outcome after the season. Lynch is getting towards 30 and that is the age that running backs start to break down and with him making over $6 million next year, he could be a cap casualty. Lynch has been fined numerous times for media issues as well as for gestures he has made on the field and while some say those are not "big" deals, the distractions add up. On top of that, Lynch could have been flagged in the NFC championship game for one of his touchdown gestures and that could be something that hurts the Seahawks in the future.
Lynch previously said that he would consider retirement from the NFL and according to NFL.com, Ian Rapoport reports that Lynch could do that again after the Super Bowl. Lynch could go that route rather than getting cut or traded by the Seahawks and if the team wins the game, he obviously would go out a champion. This is another type of thing the Seahawks don't want to bother with anymore and it gives some credence to the reports from earlier in the season. Either way, Lynch has been a huge part of the success for the Seahawks and they will have to find some way to replace him if they move on.
Lynch had another strong season while rushing for 1306 yards and 13 touchdowns and the Seahawks could be open to keeping Lynch if he agrees to a new contract moving forward. Lynch has rushed for at least 1200 yards and 10 touchdowns in each of his last four seasons in Seattle.
