Timing is everything. And Marshawn Lynch wants to cash in now.
Lynch is set to skip the Seattle Seahawks mandatory minicamp in hopes of landing a new contract, according to ESPN.com.
Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch is expected to skip the mandatory team minicamp next week because he wants a contract extension, sources confirmed Wednesday night.
“It’s very, very unlikely that Lynch will be there,” said a source close to the situation. “He wants the Seahawks to renegotiate his current contract and provide him with more up-front money.”
The whispers out of the Pacific Northwest the past few weeks have all been about Lynch’s backup, Christine Michael, suggesting the younger running back could see a greater role this coming season and eventually take over starting duties in 2015.
Lynch, who is under contract through the 2015 season, is expected to earn $5.5 million next year plus $2 million in per-game roster bonuses. He’ll be on the verge of 30 this season and a candidate for release. Given the fact he’s coming off a terrific 2013 campaign, Lynch views now as the time to get paid.
If and when Lynch skips the three-day minicamp, he will be subject to up to $70,000 in fines. He has already missed the team’s voluntary workouts over the past three weeks.
Asked about Lynch’s absence on the first day of OTAs this week, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said he had seen him on ESPN that day and “he looked pretty good.”
Lynch rushed for 1,257 yards last season, the third consecutive season in which he eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark. He found the end zone 14 total times, a career-best mark, and leads the NFL in touchdowns since the beginning of the 2011 season.
Lynch has racked up 901 carries over the past three years, and given that Michael is primed to take over backfield duties, it will be interesting to see if Seattle gives in to Lynch’s contract demands.
Lynch is currently the fifth-highest paid running back in the NFL, with a $7.5 million per year average salary on his current deal.
