It was quite the coincidence, or perhaps not a coincidence at all, that Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch called former teammate Michael Robinson while Robinson was spending several hours on the air at NFL Network and told Robinson that Lynch plans to hold out.
Lynch has been making noise for weeks about wanting a new deal, but he has yet to take concrete action toward that end. He showed up for a mandatory minicamp amid reports he wouldn’t. Now, Lynch potentially is throwing a Hail Mary pass in the hopes the Seahawks will blink.
It would be a surprise if they do. As the Seahawks see it, Lynch has completed half of a four-year, $30 million contract. He has two years left, and by the time those two years have expired, if not sooner, the team may begin to devote a sizable chunk of Lynch’s touches to Christine Michael or Robert Turbin.
Lynch knows that, given his age (28) and the hits he has absorbed, now is the time to get one last payday. By next year or the year after, he’ll be at best among the smattering of veterans fetching $3.5 million annually, at best, on the open market.