As the offseason continues on into the month of April, general manager Reggie McKenzie, head coach Jack Del Rio and the front office of the Oakland Raiders continue to assemble a roster towards the start of Training Camp in early August.
While McKenzie originally stated that the offseason was meant towards finding bargains on the defensive end, the Raiders have been heavily linked to one offensive beast. Although he is in retirement, Marshawn Lynch and the Raiders have somewhat expressed mutual interest.
The Raiders were have said to have been strongly considering acquiring Lynch, with a possible trade brewing between them and the Seattle Seahawks. When Lynch retired at the end of the 2016 season, he still had two years remaining on his contract with the Seahawks.
His former head coach, Pete Carroll, was asked about Lynch’s status during the annual NFL league meetings. Carroll stated that he has spoken to Lynch about the idea and confirmed that Lynch is considering coming out of retirement, via Bob Condotta of SeattleTimes.com:
“I know that he is somewhat entertaining the thought of it,” Carroll said during the annual breakfast with NFC coaches. “I can’t tell you how strong it is.”
Carroll later said, “there is not much to it,” referring to the rumors of Lynch possibly returning. “We had a chance to visit. He was in really good spirits about 10 days ago.”
Carroll went on to say that he would only discuss trading or releasing Lynch once he formally announces his decision regarding the matter. If Lynch were to come out of retirement, the Seahawks would be on the hook for his $9 million salary for 2017, something the Seahawks don’t necessarily need.
The Seahawks would then have to decide between releasing Lynch or conversing with the Raiders about a possible trade. The Raiders are widely considered the only other team Lynch would consider playing for, with the obvious hometown connection to the Oakland area and the University of California, Berkley.
The Raiders turned to social media to start their own campaign for Lynch, with some hilarious posts that went viral. Punter Marquette King, whose personality has transferred over to Twitter, made a hilarious poke at the pair of shoes Lynch used to formally announce his retirement:
Aye @MoneyLynch I got your cleats back 4 ya brah… pic.twitter.com/zs7nfnJ8tL
— Marquette King (@MarquetteKing) March 19, 2017
With Lynch turning 31 this next month, Carroll’s main concern rested with Lynch being able to still ignite that flame and passion that he had when he dominated the NFL. However, the players on the Raiders think that Lynch would still be able to contribute, especially behind their dominant offensive line.
