Marshawn Lynch picked a good time to have his best NFL season.
The Skittles-loving running back gained 1,204 yards on the ground and scored 13 touchdowns overall in his first full season with the Seahawks, giving him a strong platform to use to sell himself as he hits free agency. Unless he reaches an agreement with the Seahawks or they use a franchise tag on him, Lynch will be on the open market when free agency gets underway.
Lynch addressed that possibility on Monday, making it clear that his first choice would be remaining with the Seahawks. He didn’t address the possibility of a franchise tag, but Eric Williams of the Tacoma News-Tribune reports that Lynch would be fine with forgoing a chance to shop himself around the NFL.
“Hopefully I don’t have to. Hopefully I can get taken care of where I’m at. But I mean, if that’s the case, that would be the next step.”
Lynch’s play was a big reason why the Seahawks turned things around after a 2-6 start to the season. He topped 100 yards in six of the final nine games of the season and scored nine touchdowns over that span, giving the team a sound offensive foundation despite the erratic play of quarterback Tarvaris Jackson. It is hard to believe the Seahawks would choose to cut ties with Lynch, although how they’d prefer to keep him in the fold remains to be seen.