On Tuesday, Seahawks G.M. John Schneider confirmed what PFT has been hearing consistently since the Super Bowl ended — it’s not known whether running back Marshawn Lynch will return for another season.
Schneider said the team hopes to have a decision soon, and for good reason. Unlike the Packers during the annual Brett Favre will-I-or-won’t-I meanderings of 2006 through 2008, the Seahawks don’t have an Aaron Rodgers ready to take the reins. Last season was supposed to be the start of a transition from Lynch to Robert Turbin or Christine Michael, but neither guy stepped up. If Marshawn will be stepping off, the Seahawks need to launch immediate preparations to replace him.
The market consists of two prime candidates: DeMarco Murray and Adrian Peterson. As to the former, there’s a chance the Cowboys won’t work out a long-term deal and won’t apply the franchise tag, allowing Murray to hit the market. As to the latter, the Seahawks make plenty of sense for a veteran tailback with a burning desire for a championship.
At the latest, the Seahawks need to know what Lynch will be doing before the draft, so that an effort to replace him with a rookie can be made. Still, absent the acquisition of a guy like Murray or Peterson, the Seahawks could be facing a major step backward at tailback, if Lynch decides that he’s done.
Here’s the other risk in pushing Lynch for an answer. Like Favre in 2008, the answer in February may be no — and the answer in July may be yes. Which could put the Seahawks in a delicate situation if they make an investment in another tailback early in the offseason, only to see Lynch unretire in time for training camp.