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Marshawn Lynch

West Notes: Lynch, Boone, Smith, Bradford

July 28th, 2014 at 5:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Though Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch seems intent on holding out for a new contract, his financial incentive to show up for training camp ramps up tomorrow, writes Terry Blount of ESPN.com. Lynch is currently being fined $30K for each missed practice session, but the more serious penalties can begin Tuesday, the sixth day of Lynch’s absence. The 28-year-old is subject to losing 15% of his signing bonus, which would amount to $900K. For his next 10 absences (starting Tuesday), Lynch could be fined an additional 1% per day. In total, Lynch could lose 25% of his signing bonus, or $1.5MM.

Blount adds that Lynch could lose one regular season game check (for Lynch, roughly $313K) for each preseason game that he misses. However, as Joel Corry of CBS Sports tweets, this particular rule only applies to players who signed as unrestricted free agents. Lynch, whose contract was signed about a week before free agency began in 2012, won’t be affected by this stipulation.

More from the NFL’s two West divisions:

  • Like Lynch, 49ers guard Alex Boone is in the middle of a holdout, and Bill Williamson of ESPN.com doesn’t expect Boone to show to camp any time soon. The two sides are “far apart” in talks, and because San Francisco isn’t inclined to deal with Boone until he reports to practice, this battle could go on for awhile.
  • Alex Smith is only signed through 2014, but the Chiefs are hoping to a new deal can be worked out soon. “…[T]here’s communication going on,” head coach Andy Reid told reporters, including the Kansas City Star’s Terez A. Paylor, at a press conference. “They’re working through it so we’ll see what happens. These things take [time]. You know how the game goes. Alex isn’t worried about it and I’m not not worried about it.”
  • Sam Bradford is facing yet another “make or break” season with the Rams, per USA Today. St. Louis can save almost $13MM by cutting Bradford after 2014.

Minor Moves: Panthers, Seahawks, Chiefs

July 26th, 2014 at 6:19pm CST by Rob DiRe

Here are a few Saturday minor moves from around the NFL:

  • The Panthers have swapped one defender for another, waiving cornerback DeQuan Menzie and signing defensive tackle Micanor Regis, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
  • The Seahawks have officially placed Marshawn Lynch on the reserve/did not report list, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter). Players with that designation don’t count toward the 90-man roster, which is how the club was able to sign two players and cut just one, as noted below.
  • Wilson also clarifies (via Twitter) that tight end Adam Schiltz is joining the Chiefs as a waiver claim rather than a signing, as indicated below.

Earlier updates:

NFC West Links: Lynch, Fitzgerald, Hunter

July 25th, 2014 at 9:45pm CST by Ben Levine

It’s hard to imagine a head coach being in a good mood when their star player decides to hold out, and Pete Carroll certainly confirms that notion. The Super Bowl-winning coach was asked about Marshawn Lynch‘s decision to skip Seahawks training camp and gave an honest (albeit snarky) answer.

“It’s a contract for a reason. We made a decision and it was signed, by us and by them,” Carroll told USA Today Sports’ Tom Pelissero. “We expect them to honor their contract just as we will. We’re going to honor it and we expect them to do the same.

“We’ve had a big plan for a long time working here, and Marshawn is a huge part of that plan, and we made a huge commitment to him a couple years ago. He remains a big part of that plan – if he’ll show up. The same thing will carry over to Doug (Baldwin) and Richard (Sherman) and Earl (Thomas) and Kam (Chancellor) and all of the guys that have signed with us.

“He’s got his own mind on this. We’ve communicated quite a bit, and I know where he is on it and we just have to see what happens.”

Lynch originally signed a four-year, $30MM deal in 2012 and the contract’s average annual value is among the top-six in the league.

Now, for some more NFC West notes…

  • In a series of tweets, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen suggests that Lynch could lose a portion of his signing bonus if he misses the first six days of camp. If the Seahawks star decides to miss the first 11 games and the preseason opener, Mortensen estimates Lynch could give up more than $624K (based on CBA’s $30K daily fine and $294K penalty for missed preseason game).
  • Cardinals team president Michael Bidwell was clear that he wants franchise receiver Larry Fitzgerald to spend the rest of his career in Arizona. “Our intent all along is to have Larry retire as an Arizona Cardinal,” he said (via AZCentral.com). “He’s been a great player on the field, a great person in the community, and a great ambassador not only for the Cardinals and the National Football League but also for the state of Arizona. We’ve worked hard to keep him a Cardinal, we’re going to keep him a Cardinal, and we intend to have him retire as a Cardinal.” 
  • 49ers running back Kendall Hunter was hurt during practice today, and ESPN’s Ed Werder tweets that the organization is “concerned” about the injury. The source indicated that the seriousness of the injury wasn’t known but the team “didn’t like way it looked.” If the injury proves to be serious, LaMichael James‘ chances of making the roster will certainly improve.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Latest On Marshawn Lynch

July 25th, 2014 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

1:00pm: Appearing on ESPN 710 Seattle today, GM John Schneider confirmed that Lynch is holding out, and his comments backed up the reports indicating that the Seahawks aren’t eager to give the running back a new contract (link via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times). Schneider noted that the team has to make tough cap decisions every year, adding the financial plan that has been in place for several years allowed the club to sign Lynch to a lucrative deal two years ago. Asked if Seattle was prepared to rely on Christine Michael and Robert Turbin if Lynch didn’t show up, Schneider seemed to suggest the club would make do.

“I think that the players and teammates think that they are comfortable with the next player,” Schneider said. “And that’s no disrespect to Marshawn — everybody knows what he can do.”

11:14am: Marshawn Lynch confirmed yesterday to former Seahawks teammate turned NFL Network personality Michael Robinson that he intends to hold out in the hopes of negotiating a new contract with the club. However, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that discussions between Lynch and the Seahawks have been happening off and on for four months, without a whole lot of progress. Seattle continues to resist reworking Lynch’s deal with two years remaining on it, since the team believes it would set a bad precedent going forward.

ESPN.com’s Jim Trotter expands on this point (via Twitter), suggesting that the Seahawks are willing to reconfigure Lynch’s contract, but aren’t open to the idea of giving him additional new money. Trotter also cites a “bad precedent,” noting that the running back’s current deal was signed just two years ago, and that the club doesn’t want to get in the habit of having to revisit contract agreements so frequently.

As Florio points out, Lynch has been the Seahawks’ most valuable playmaker for the last two years, so rewarding him with a modest salary bump would hardly be setting a terrible precedent — if players were to point to this situation in future negotiations, it would be simple enough for Seattle to say, “You’re not Marshawn Lynch.”

Still, although Lynch will earn base salaries of $5MM this year and $5.5MM in 2015, the prorated bonus money included in his deal ensures that he still ranks among the top five backs in the league when it come to average annual value. So it makes some sense that, despite his consecutive Pro Bowl seasons, the Seahawks wouldn’t be enthusiastic about giving him another raise. With the 28-year-old expected to be absent from training camp, it will be interesting to see which side blinks first in the standoff.

Marshawn Lynch To Hold Out

July 24th, 2014 at 6:07pm CST by Zachary Links

Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch will not attend training camp with the Seahawks in an effort to get a new contract, former Seattle teammate Michael Robinson said on the NFL Network, according to Albert Breer (on Twitter). Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times hears that the Seahawks have told Lynch they have no plans to re-do his deal.

There was speculation last month that the running back would skip the Seahawks’ mandatory minicamp, but he wound up attending rather than pay a ~$70K fine. Lynch was planning on showing up and negotiating in good faith at that point, but it appears that he has decided to change course. Lynch is entering the third year of the four-year deal he signed with the Seahawks in 2012 and is set to earn a base salary of $5MM this year and $5.5MM in 2015. However, taking into account the bonus money also included in the pact, the 28-year-old still ranks among the top five backs in the league when it come to average annual value.

The Skittles-loving tailback finished the 2013 season with 1,257 yards, giving him his third straight thousand-yard season. He also registered 14 total touchdowns, a career-high. While Lynch didn’t play a big role in the Seahawks’ Super Bowl romp over the Broncos, he has been an integral part of the team for the past three seasons and change. The 28-year-old has racked up 4,624 yards on the ground to go with 41 rushing touchdowns.

NFC Notes: Lynch, Saints, Redskins, Giants

June 23rd, 2014 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

It wasn’t clear right up until the day the Seahawks‘ minicamp got underway last week whether or not Marshawn Lynch would be in attendance, and it sounds like that may be the case for training camp as well. Even though he’s seeking a new contract, I’d expect the running back to be present when Seattle’s training camp begins next month, but he gave a very Lynchian response when asked by Omar Ruiz of the NFL Network (Twitter link) if he’s looking forward to camp: “We’ll talk about that when that time come, boss.”

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • The Saints are expected to sign second-year linebacker Todd Davis to a contract today, reports Eric Edholm of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Davis went undrafted out of Sacramento State in 2013.
  • While you could argue that Darrel Young‘s presence as the only fullback on the Redskins‘ roster is a good sign for Young, since he won’t have competition in training camp, Rich Tandler of RealRedskins.com wonders if Washington may simply elect not to carry a fullback on its regular-season roster.
  • As David Moore of the Dallas Morning News details, Dez Bryant has shown the Cowboys that he’s worthy of a long-term investment — now it’s not a question of if he’ll sign an extension, but how much it’ll be worth. Our Rob DiRe profiled the standout receiver as an extension candidate over the weekend.
  • The Giants are deeper at offensive line and loaded at cornerback, but their offseason workouts showed that tight end and linebacker are areas of potential concern, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, who adds that it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team head into the regular season without a fullback.

AFC Links: Goodson, Flowers, Jaguars

June 18th, 2014 at 6:50pm CST by Ben Levine

The Jets released running back Mike Goodson earlier today, but the transaction had little to do with his production on the field. Following Goodson’s failure to show up to training camp, the team announced that the player was cut with the “left squad” designation. Furthermore, he’s had zero contact with anyone within the organization, and that’s leaving some of his former teammates and coaches worried.

Offensive guard Willie Colon is one of those players (via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini):

“Usually, a guy will send you a text and say, ‘I’m OK.’ Not to hear anything is scary in itself. All you can do is send out prayers to him.”

Goodson has had a bit of a troubled past. The issues began in May 2013, when he was found stopped in the middle lane of a highway by New Jersey Police. The cops say he was incoherent and had vomited, and a semiautomatic weapon and marijuana was allegedly found in his possession. Last season, he was suspended four games for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. Wideout David Nelson briefly touched on his former teammate’s issues:

“The concern is what kind of state he might be in, where he might be and things he might be doing. Guys are trying to check in on him, making sure that stuff isn’t reoccurring and taking over.

“For somebody who has just gone MIA – nobody can get a hold of him and nobody knows where he is – that takes it to a different level and it goes beyond football. Guys aren’t reaching out to him because of football. They’re reaching out to him because they care about him. They want to know if he’s OK.

“That’s the element everybody is talking about. At this point, nobody is talking about, ‘Why isn’t he here practicing?’ I think the fear is that we haven’t heard from him. That’s not a good sign, honestly.”

Head coach Rex Ryan also addressed the matter:

“There’s no question, it concerns me. I’ve tried to reach out to him but haven’t been able to make contact with him.”

The only time we’ve heard from Goodson’s agent, Kennard McGuire, was following the player’s initial absence from camp on Tuesday:

“Mike must be accountable and responsible for his own actions and comprehend not only effective communication but simple communication.”

With that, let’s see what else is going on around the AFC…

  • Free agent cornerback Brandon Flowers isn’t negotiating with teams yet, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. The former Chiefs notable will spend the next two days with the Chargers. The Ravens, Steelers, and Vikings are among the clubs keeping a close eye on him. According to La Canfora (via Twitter), Flowers has no other visits scheduled yet and will re-evaluate the situation and whether to take more visits after he’s done spending time in San Diego (link).
  • Count wide receiver Eddie Royal amongst the folks who want to see Flowers sign with the Chargers, writes Tom Krasovic of U-T San Diego. The two were teammates at Virginia Tech.
  • New Jaguars running back Toby Gerhart wants to be the Jacksonville’s version of Marshawn Lynch, writes Jim Corbett of USA Today Sports. The Jags gave Gerhart a three-year, $10.5MM deal in March.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Marshawn Lynch Considering Retirement?

June 17th, 2014 at 7:06pm CST by Zachary Links

TUESDAY, 7:06pm: The Seahawks are saying that Lynch has a healing ankle, which is why he hasn’t practiced yet this offseason and won’t practice this week, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

JUNE 13th, 11:05am: After speaking to Lynch on Thursday, NFL Media’s Jordan Babineaux says he doesn’t see the Seahawks running back retiring this year.

“He’s working on his training. He’s doing the normal things that he always does,” Babineaux said. “We actually went out last week when I was in Seattle and he and I had conversation and had a drink. The bottom line is, it is about the money. When a guy starts producing the way Marshawn has been producing, he wants to be paid.”

Babineaux’s account doesn’t come as a real surprise — I suspect the rumblings about a potential Lynch retirement are more about leverage in contract talks than anything else.

JUNE 12th, 7:09pm: Marshawn Lynch opted to skip the Seahawks’ OTAs and he’ll reportedly stay home instead of attending the club’s mandatory minicamp next week. While we’ve all assumed that he would report at some point, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (on Twitter) hears he might not. Lynch, he says, told two teammates last year that he might retire if Seattle won the Super Bowl. Rapoport checked in with a source this week to see if he might walk away and was told “he could.”

Lynch hasn’t told the Seahawks that he’s skipping the team’s minicamp but he does reportedly want a new contract. The veteran is already the fifth-highest paid player at his position, however, and he’s only halfway through a lucrative extension. Beast Mode is set to earn a base salary of $5MM this year and $5.5MM in 2015. It’s hard to gauge how serious Lynch could be about walking away from the sport without hearing from him directly, but the threat of retiring could give him some degree of leverage with the Seahawks.

The 28-year-old is far from finished after a season in which he ran for 1,257 yards and scored a career-high 14 total touchdowns. With Lynch eating Skittles from the comfort of his couch, Seattle’s running back core will be anchored by former Texas A&M notable Christine Michael and veteran Robert Turbin during practices. Because they had one of the league’s best backs and two talented reserves, the Seahawks did not select a running back in the 2014 draft.

If Lynch does walk away from the NFL and the $10.5MM he’s owed over the next two years, he won’t be hurting for cash. Rapoport hears (on Twitter) that the veteran back has saved a good portion of his career earnings.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Marshawn Lynch Present At Seahawks’ Camp

June 17th, 2014 at 1:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Marshawn Lynch reportedly wants a new contract, but that didn’t stop him from showing up for the Seahawks’ mandatory minicamp this week. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) reports that Lynch has arrived at the team’s camp, after ESPN.com’s Terry Blount wrote earlier today that the four-time Pro Bowler was expected to be in attendance.

According to Blount, Lynch doesn’t want to pay the fine of nearly $70K that would be levied upon him if he missed this week’s practices with the club. However, the running back’s presence at the minicamp doesn’t mean that he’s willing to drop his demands for a new contract — Blount suggests that Lynch believes the Seahawks will be open to negotiating in good faith.

Lynch is entering the third year of the four-year deal he signed with the Seahawks in 2012 and is set to earn a base salary of $5MM this year and $5.5MM in 2015. However, taking into account the bonus money also included in the pact, the 28-year-old still ranks among the top five backs in the league when it come to average annual value.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com suggested last week that Seattle isn’t particularly inclined to work something out with the standout rusher, in part because he’s already paid well relative to other players at his position, and also because it would set a bad precedent for players pushing for new contracts halfway through large extensions.

NFC Notes: Graham, Lynch, 49ers, Vikings

June 16th, 2014 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Both Jimmy Graham and the Saints have plenty to lose depending on what an arbitrator rules this week on Graham’s franchise tag positional designation. Mike Triplett of ESPN.com believes it’d be in the best interest of both sides to reach a long-term agreement before that ruling is made. In Triplett’s view, a multiyear deal with a value of $10-11MM seems about right.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett told NFL AM today (link via NFL.com) that he hopes the standoff between Marshawn Lynch and the club is short-lived, though he threw some support behind his teammate: “Obviously he’s one of the best running backs in the game, and he feels like he should be paid like one of the best backs in the game. And, of course, I agree with him.” Of course, even without a new contract, Lynch already ranks among the league’s top five RBs when it comes to average annual salary.
  • In addition to discussing his contract situation, Vernon Davis also shed some light on his long-term plans at TheMMQB.com today, writing that in 10 years his goal is to “host my own show, start acting, and continue to build a business empire.”
  • Although it’s not 100% clear whether or not Davis will show up at the Niners‘ minicamp this week, offensive lineman Alex Boone will only be in attendance if he has a new deal in place, which appears unlikely, tweets Bill Williamson of ESPN.com.
  • While the Vikings expect a big season from Kyle Rudolph, the team also needs a second tight end to step up and fill the void left by John Carlson’s departure, writes Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune.
  • Rather than choosing a team in free agency that lacked talent on the defensive line so he’d have a better chance at playing time, Alex Carrington elected to sign with the Rams this offseason in order to surround himself with talent, as he explains to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com.
  • The Packers have a decent chunk of cap space still available, but will need to decide how to use it, writes Wes Hodkiewicz of PackersNews.com, adding that extensions for Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb or a new deal for Jermichael Finley are all possibilities.
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