The Seattle Seahawks not only want Marshawn Lynch around next year, but they've made a significant commitment to keep him on their team, possibly, for the rest of his career.
On the heels of another dominant season for the running back nicknamed "Beast Mode," multiple sources tell me Seattle has made Lynch an offer on a huge contract extension that would keep him in a Seahawks uniform for years to come.
The deal is believed to include more than $10 million for Lynch in the 2015 season alone. Lynch currently is slated to make $5 million in 2015, the final year of what originally was a four-year, $31 million deal.
The Seahawks believe that Lynch, who has rushed for at least 1,200 yards in each of the past four seasons, has outplayed his contract, sources say. They want to reward him for his work.
The new deal for Lynch has been a topic of discussion between Lynch's agent Doug Hendrickson and the Seahawks for the last several weeks. He's the heart-and-soul of their team, which they recognize, and they want him to retire a 'Hawk.
As for his compensation, Lynch could end up being the highest-paid running back not named Adrian Peterson using average-per-year as a measure.
This is a stunning turnaround from where the Seahawks were with Lynch earlier in the season. For a variety of issues -- including Lynch's somewhat chilly relationship with coaches, his age and his hefty salary -- the expectation was that Seattle wouldn't bring Lynch back for another season. But the way Lynch has played and led this team to another Super Bowl forced the Seahawks to reverse course.
All this after he held out of training camp last year and then saw the team move some money around to offer him a band aid-style contract solution. His 2014 salary went from $5 million to $6.5 million.
In the last few weeks, the Seahawks made an offer for much more. That said, Lynch is an enigma. Sources close to him have said for months that if the Seahawks win the Super Bowl he could retire. Perhaps tonight there will be some answers.
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