Running back Marshawn Lynch wants a new deal from the Seahawks. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, there’s a “zero percent chance” he’ll show up for the start of training camp without a contract that replaces the final two seasons of his four-year, $30 million contract.
Talks have been occurring on and off, according to the source, for four months. The Seahawks have resisted due to concerns that giving a player a new contract with two years left on his current agreement would set a bad precedent.
If that’s the case, it’s hard to see how rewarding the offensive player most critical to the team’s success in the last two years would set a bad precedent. If, moving forward, other players with two years left on a contract want new deals because Marshawn Lynch got one, the easy answer is, “You’re not Marshawn Lynch.”
Besides, if Lynch waits until he has one year left on his contract, he may have far less value to the team than he does right now. Indeed, the Seahawks may decide by next year to move on to someone else at tailback.
And so Lynch won’t be moving in to camp until he gets a new deal. Given his personality and temperament, there’s a chance he’ll stay away as long as it takes, even if it never happens.