After reports surfaced Monday that the Oakland Raiders are “locked in” on acquiring retired former Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, Lynch visited the Raiders’ facility on Wednesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Retired player Marshawn Lynch is, in fact, in the #Raiders building today… as @PatMcAfeeShow noted. Short trip from his Oakland home.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 5, 2017
Lynch told the Raiders during his visit he plans on un-retiring, and returning to the NFL.
Retired RB Marshawn Lynch did, in fact, tell #Raiders he intends to un-retire and play again, I'm told. It's a long process, tho #BeastMode.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 5, 2017
Lynch, 30, is an Oakland native, and Bay Area fan favorite after attending and staring for Cal from 2004-2006. Lynch last played during the 2015 season, but spent most of that season on the shelf dealing with a sports hernia. Lynch’s last full season was 2014, where he gained 1,306 yards rushing on 4.7 yards per carry, leading many to believe that Lynch is still capable of being a productive NFL back. If he is, one can only imagine how effective he would be behind one of the best offensive lines in football.
The Raiders are looking to replace running back Latavius Murray who recently departed for the Vikings in free agency. Oakland has also been linked to former Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who is coming off a knee injury that sidelined him for all but three games in 2016. Taiwan Jones is currently listed as the Raiders’ starting running back.
The Seahawks currently hold the rights to Lynch, and would have to either release or trade him before he could be acquired by another team. Seattle reportedly cleared Wednesday’s visit.
Source: The #Seahawks cleared Marshawn Lynch’s visit to the #Raiders facility as all sides explore their options. Fact-finding mission.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 5, 2017
In nine seasons as a pro, Lynch gained 9,112 yards on the ground, scoring 74 TDs and earning five trips to the Pro Bowl.