Marshawn Lynch can permanently toss those football spikes back onto the telephone wire.
After returning to the NFL to play two seasons for his hometown Oakland Raiders, the club is moving on and Lynch does not plan to play football again for another team, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday, per a source informed of the situation.
ESPN first reported the news.
Rapoport noted that while the Raiders love Lynch, coach Jon Gruden made it clear the team had moved on from the 33-year-old running back. Oakland plans to take an RB early in the draft, which opens Thursday, per Rapoport. Josh Jacobs, considered the top back in the draft, is a possible target for the Raiders in the 20s -- Oakland currently owns the No. 24 and 27 picks.
With the Raiders moving on, it marks the end of Beast Mode's NFL career -- again.
The man who redefined his career and power running with the Seattle Seahawks for six seasons during their Super Bowl runs, Lynch ran over, through, and obliterated any defender who dare attempt a tackle. The man literally caused a seismic earth tremor with one of his runs, forever known as the Beast Quake.
Leading the ground-first Seahawks attack, Lynch generated four straight seasons of 1,200-plus yards in Seattle, during which he defined the workmanlike attitude of the team. Standoffish in the media, Lynch also provided much fodder while saying very little. "I'm just here so I don't get fined" from one Super Bowl appearance will forever live in the NFL lexicon.
After walking away for the 2016 season, Lynch unretired to return to his hometown Oakland squad in 2017. In his first year with the Raiders, Lynch remained productive enough, generating 891 yards on 207 carries (4.3 average) with seven TDs. There were some games that season Lynch was the offensive production.
Last season, injuries once again caught up with the aging veteran. He played just six games, earning 376 yards (4.2 average) and three scores.
It seemed clear all offseason that the Raiders would like to move on from Beast Mode's reign. Yet the team has done little to bring in a lead dog. Oakland signed Isaiah Crowell, a solid if unspectacular runner. Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington returned, but neither is an every-down answer. The Raiders will now look to the draft to try to add a potential dual-threat.
Jacobs is currently considered the top prospect entering Thursday night's first round. The Alabama product fits the mold of a modern back that can perform in both the run and pass.
Lynch unretired to play for his hometown team before they moved to Las Vegas permanently. With the club moving on at the position, Lynch won't play football again, but the consistent good he does for the people and city of Oakland will continue to persist for years to come.
