Marshawn Lynch’s future in the NFL remains under question after his former team-mate said the running back isn’t sure if he will return next season.
“My bet would be that he plays next year in Seattle,” Michael Robinson said on Thursday during a 710 ESPN Seattle radio interview. Robinson played alongside Lynch at Seattle until he retired at the end of the 2013 season. “I don’t think Marshawn knows yet. I don’t know what the timeline is. It’s probably going to be a feel thing and we’ll just see like everybody else.”
Although Lynch is still only 28, he is one of the most physical running backs in the league and Robinson believes he is aware of the toll the game takes on his body. “Marshawn is getting to a point in his life where he may want to enjoy other things that are important to him,” Robinson said.
Lynch stands to earn $7m in 2015, which will be the last year of his contract with the Seahawks but Robinson believes money will not influence the decision. “I don’t think it factors in too much,” Robinson said, “but obviously this is a business. With the running back position being so devalued, I think he wants to be paid like the heartbeat of the team, which he should be. He knows that he has the leverage. He knows that he’s the best back in the league. He knows he’s a difference maker not only on the field but off the field.”
With a reference to Lynch’s famed reticence, in front of the media at least, Robinson said it was difficult to know exactly what his former team-mate was thinking. “C’mon, man, it’s Marshawn,” Robinson said. “Has he had enough football? You can’t ask him that right after the season because your body is telling you yes. Right now you just have to let him wait it out, see how the offseason goes, let him get his body right again and then you will see if he wants to come back or not.”
