Marshawn Lynch joining the Oakland Raiders seems so simple. Unless it's not.
Both sides have an interest in one another. The Raiders need a power back. Beast Mode wants to return to play for his hometown team.
Yet, even as the two seemed close to coming to a contract agreement late last week, which would precipitate a trade with the Seattle Seahawks, nothing is officially done.
There does seem to be a possible deadline to get a deal consummated.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport noted Tuesday on Good Morning Football that next week's draft -- April 27-29, in Philadelphia -- could be the end of the Raiders' interest in Lynch, if Oakland adds a power back.
"Right now, there's no agreement between Marshawn Lynch and the Oakland Raiders, and the real deadline here -- they hoped to have it done by yesterday when offseason conditioning started, didn't happen -- the real deadline here is the draft," Rapoport said. "Because it is possible that the Raiders get on the clock Thursday night or Friday, and say 'Alright, we're going to take this running back. He has a value here for us. We're just going to take the leap.' And once they take a running back, it probably will close the door on Marshawn Lynch."
As always, deadlines spur action. With the draft sitting 10 days away, the question is whether either side will blink. One caveat: If the Raiders went through the draft without adding a power runner, it would only strengthen Lynch's negotiating position.
We've gone from what seemed like a formality, when Lynch announced his desire to return to the NFL, to noting deadlines. It's just the latest reminder that even when the NFL doesn't seem like a business, it's still a business.
