It seems to be a foregone conclusion that Marshawn Lynch has played his final game with the Seattle Seahawks.
With injuries limiting Lynch to just seven games in 2015, a drop in production in the games he did play in, and a contract that would provide significant salary cap relief if Lynch is released, the marriage between Lynch and the Seahawks has reached an obvious breaking point.
Michael Robinson of the NFL Network played four seasons with Lynch in Seattle and calls the mercurial running back “my best friend.” In an interview with Dave “Softy” Mahler of 950 KJR in Seattle from the Super Bowl, Robinson said it’s likely Lynch’s tenure with the Seahawks is over.
“I think it’s fair to assume that,” he said. “I really do and I think for the last few years, whether it’s been bringing in Percy (Harvin), whether it’s been bringing in Jimmy Graham, they’ve been trying to bring in people around Russell (Wilson) so that they don’t necessarily need Marshawn. I don’t think that’s a slight to Marshawn, just after a while, a back gets older, still wants more money. A team has to be prepared to get younger at some point. And I think the injury didn’t help this year. The fact that he didn’t get the yards that he usually gets didn’t help this year. So we’ll see.”
Robinson said he knows what Lynch plans to do but that “it’s not my responsibility to tell.”
The Seahawks would save $6.5 million against the salary cap for 2016 by releasing Lynch. With Michael Bennett and Kam Chancellor still unhappy about their contracts, and Doug Baldwin in prime position to ask for more money after tying for the league lead with 14 touchdown receptions last season, the money saved by moving on from Lynch could be put to better use.