Marshawn Lynch “Really Wants” To Play For Raiders, OAK Interested At The Right Price

A source tells Peter King of TheMMQB.com reports that retired RB Marshawn Lynch “really wants” to play for the Raiders.

“He [Lynch] really wants to play for the Raiders,” King’s source said. “He also wants to do good things for his foundation in the area. This is a great chance to accomplish both things.”

There are two ways for Lynch to end up with the Raiders. Either the Raiders trade for him and part with something like a conditional 2018 draft pick or they wait until the Seahawks release him after he officially files for reinstatement to the NFL.

King hears that the Raiders are interested in Lynch, but only “at the right price.”

According to King, the Raiders aren’t going to be willing to take on Lynch’s $9 million salary for the 2017 season and would instead prefer to get him at a lower salary that includes incentives.

King doesn’t think the Seahawks would stand in Lynch’s way, given that he has a lot of support from within the team. However, King believes the Raiders are the only team Seattle would be willing to release him for.

While Adrian Peterson has been linked to the Raiders, King considers Lynch to be better fit for a number of reasons including: 1) Lynch is from Oakland and his foundation does work in the community, 2) Lynch can be an effective running back out of the shotgun formation, and 3) Signing Lynch could be a strategic move for the team, given that there will be a vote among NFL owners to move the team to Las Vegas at the upcoming owners meeting. By bringing Lynch in, there would still be interest in the team while Mark Davis would be cast as the one responsible for relocating the franchise.

After Lynch decided to retire, the Seahawks placed him on the reserve/retired list, ensuring they held his rights if he elected to return to the NFL at some point.

Lynch, 29, has two years remaining on his three-year, $31 million contract that included $12 million guaranteed. He stands to make base salaries of $9 million and $7 million over the final two years of the agreement.

During his career, Lynch rushed for 9,112 yards rushing on 2,144 carries (4.3 YPC) to go along with 252 receptions for 1,979 yards receiving and 83 total touchdowns for the Seahawks and Bills.

Lynch is a five-time Pro Bowler and made one first-team All-Pro team in 2012. He also helped the Seahawks win a Super Bowl in 2013.

We’ll have more regarding Lynch and the Raiders as the news is available.