RB Marshawn Lynch ended his eight-day holdout Friday and reported to Seahawks’ headquarters in Renton. Fifteen minutes after practice started, he slipped out a side door and took the field to avoid a media horde awaiting his return.
He watched a short, walk-through practice and did not participate. He jogged back toward the locker room, signed a few autographs for kids, and called it an undramatic day.Lynch had his 2014 contract, which had a $5 million base, sweetened $1.5 million by converting participation and incentive bonuses to base pay, according to a Seahawks source.
He now receives $500,000 in roster bonuses and a $500,000 incentive for rushing for more than 1,500 yards, which he did once in his seven-year career (2012, 1,590 yards), as base pay. The Seahawks also advanced $500,000 that was guaranteed for 2015 and paid him now.
So the Seahawks can claim that they gave him no “new” money in the standoff, and Lynch can claim he got something for his trouble. The status of the nearly $500,000 in fines he incurred while holding out remained unclear.
Lynch wanted much more base pay in 2014, knowing that there’s an increasing chance that next year, his age (then 29) and his salary hit against the cap ($9 million) may force the Seahawks to cut him, almost no matter his productivity.
But since his only real leverage was to retire, quitting on $10 million, Lynch accepted the terms the Seahawks offered prior to a mini-camp in May.
Running backs coach Sherman Smith was eager to see Beast Mode crank.
“We are looking for him getting out there and getting some reps,” Smith said. “I can’t wait to see it.
“Marshawn doesn’t do a lot of running in the pre-season, so that’s the way it’s going to be. He comes back, nothing is going to change. Absolutely nothing.”
As much as the Seahawks talked up the improvements in the backups, Robert Turbin and Christine Michael, there is no substitute for Lynch’s savvy.
“Marshawn is such a disciplined runner,” Smith said. “He understands what to do — knows where the reads are, and makes things happen.”
Notes
The Seahawks made it official, placing TE Anthony McCoy and DT Jesse Williams on injured reserve. Both moves were expected after McCoy (Achilles tendon) and Williams (knee) suffered training-camp injuries earlier this week. The Seahawks also released wide receiver Randall Carroll and signed linebacker Marcus Dowtin and wide receiver Ronald Johnson.
Dowtin originally signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Jets after the 2012 draft. He has also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills and New York Giants. He has played in 11 career games with 10 tackles (eight solo).
Johnson was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth-round (182nd overall) of the 2011 draft. He has also spent time on the Eagles practice squad.
5 Comments
Kinda went the way a lot of us figured. OK the drama’s over and I’m still looking forward to how well Turbin and Michael do in the preseason . . .
Right on! These 2 need some serious touches and hopefully one/they will come out giving Lynch a true run for his money.
I wonder if this will set a precedent within the team? Can we expect this annually? Or does this all but assure that Lynch won’t be back next season?
He’s baaaack…but I’m not sure he’s all that happy. Watched the same video twice on a local sportscast and he was kind of stomping around outside while talking on a cell phone and then said something to someone off-camera that was obviously not light-hearted before stomping away from the camera and going back to his cell phone.
Anyway, I’m curious about what “roster bonuses” are and how they’re worth an extra half-million dollars. It’s Paul Allen’s money but I want to see what they’re shifting around in order to claim Marshawn isn’t getting any new money. Sounds like something I’ve suggested earlier in which he gets some 2015 salary upfront and guaranteed (I said a million, ended up half a million) along with some number-oriented incentives. Whatever it takes.
I think it’ll all end up okay because the deal is done and we can all get back to football, he only missed the first week of camp, his teammates do genuinely seem to like and accept him for who he is. Marshawn seems to find a sense of peace on the football field because he’s free to be himself plus he does appear to enjoy playing the game. The big problem is the media because he got burned in Buffalo and he by nature prefers to live life on his own terms without explanation or apology. I get the feeling he’s cordial, if shy, with fans and has a sometimes-sneaky sense of humor.
I like Marshawn, I’m glad this is over and hope he has people advising him he should trust. Too many athletes lose everything because they listened to people that didn’t have the athlete’s best interest at heart (or they didn’t listen to anybody).
Good for Marshawn. I wonder if he might retire after the ’14 season. Or, on the other hand, does this make his cap number for ’15 one that might keep him on the roster?