It Looks Like Marshawn Lynch's Return To The NFL Is Really Happening

The idea of Marshawn Lynch coming out of retirement to play for the Oakland Raiders has been floating around for some time, and now it seems like this is actually happening.

NFL.com is reporting that the Raiders have cleared the two biggest hurdles standing in the way of Lynch’s return: a trade agreement with the Seahawks, who still own Lynch’s rights, and a contract agreement with Lynch. The Raiders are reportedly swapping a fifth-round pick for the Seahawks’ sixth-round pick, and have agreed to a contract with Lynch that will pay him a base salary of $3 million and another $2 million if he rushes for 1,000 yards. When and if Lynch passes his physical, he’ll officially be a member of the Raiders.

This has the potential to be a very fun development, not in the least because the Raiders are already stacked on offense and could provide Lynch with a great opportunity to rip a few more Beast Mode runs for old times’ sake. The Raiders are good, and Lynch should have every opportunity to succeed. I’m also looking forward to Lynch playing for the Raiders given that he is from Oakland and still seems to spend the majority of his time there.

Whether opportunity leads to results remains to be seen. Lynch is 31 now, and the list of running backs to run for 1,000 yards in a season after their 31st birthday isn’t that long. Best case scenario is that the year off re-energized Lynch and he comes back looking like 2004 Curtis Martin; worst case is that he spends a few games getting stuffed at the line before getting benched in favor of whatever cheap, rookie back the Raiders draft this week. Here’s hoping Lynch still remembers how to run through a motherfucker’s face.

[ NFL.com]