Marshawn Lynch, Russell Okung & Cliff Avril Could Be Playing Their Final Seasons With Seahawks?

 

According to Terry Blount of ESPN.com, Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch, LT Russell Okung, and DE Cliff Avril could all be among the players entering their final season with the team.

Blount mentions that the $82 million in guaranteed handed out to CB Richard Sherman, S Earl Thomas, and DE Michael Bennett this offseason could leave them in a tough cap situation, especially when you consider that QB Russell Wilson is in line for a huge contract extension.

Seattle also has guys like LB K.J. Wright, LB Malcolm Smith, and CB Byron Maxwell entering the final year of their respective contracts, so it’s clear that tough decision will have to be made following the 2014 season.

Lynch, 28, is entering the third year of his four-year, $31 million contract. As things stand right now, he is set to make a base salary of $5 million to go along with $500,000 in per-game roster bonuses.

There has been some talk for a few months now that Lynch may not be a part of the team’s long-term plans as they have an exciting young back in Christine Michael already on their roster. Releasing Lynch next year would free up $7.5 million in cap space, according to OverTheCap.com.

Last year, Lynch appeared in all 16 games and ran for 1,257 yards on 301 carries (4.2 YPC) and scored 14 total touchdowns.

Okung, 26, is entering the fifth year of his six-year, $48.5 million contract that includes $30 million guaranteed. He has base salaries of $8.76 million and a very reasonable $4.8 million coming his way over the next two years, so I would be surprised if he wasn’t retained for the duration of this agreement.

Avril, 28, is entering the final year of his two-year, $13 million contract and could be in a great position to cash in next year. He will make $7 million for the 2014 season.

In his first year with the Seahawks, Avril recorded 20 tackles, eight sacks, five forced fumbles, and a recovery over the course of 15 games.