Two weeks ago, it seemed like Marshawn Lynch was destined to be an Oakland Raider. Lynch wanted to play for his favorite team and the silver and black needed a power back. It was a match made in heaven and everything else was just a formality. Fast forward to now and things have changed, by remaining the same.
The Oakland Raiders and Marshawn Lynch Debacle
Money Talks
At the end of the day, the NFL is a business, and in all the excitement, everyone may have overlooked one very important aspect, money. Everyone just assumed that Lynch was going to come out of retirement, and play for basically nothing. As it turns out, this wasn’t the case.
Marshawn Lynch was expecting to make at least half of what he would’ve made with the Seattle Seahawks, a whopping nine million dollars. Meanwhile, the Raiders were expecting to pay him about a third of that. This puts the Raiders in a very awkward situation.
Oakland’s Side
General manager Reggie McKenzie and head coach Jack Del Rio have a handful of very expensive contracts, including quarterback Derek Carr and pass rusher Khalil Mack, on the horizon. Carr is expected to be signed this off-season, eating around $21 million of the $34 million dollars remaining in cap space. With the remaining $13 million, the team has rookies and free agents to sign. That doesn’t leave a lot of room for Lynch or any free agent backs.
Lynch’s Side
Meanwhile, can anyone really blame Marshawn Lynch for demanding decent pay? The Raiders want to give the power back significantly less than half of what he was meant to make if he had played. If the Oakland Raiders really want Beast Mode in the backfield this season, they’ll give up the extra $1.5 million dollars.
What’s Next?
The Raiders won’t hesitate to draft a running back if Lynch doesn’t sign, so this deal will likely need to be done by next Thursday. The deal isn’t dead by any means. By the time this article gets published, Lynch and the Raiders could’ve come to an agreement, setting the dominos in motion.
Ultimately, it seems unlikely that the Raiders will budge on their terms, as McKenzie has been known to set his price and let free agents walk. However, perhaps the team will give Lynch an incentive-driven contract and he’ll agree.
