It’s the question everyone is asking right now…
Will Marshawn Lynch be back with the Raiders next year?
It’s anyone’s guess at this point, but The Athletic’s Vic Tafur reported on a number of observations regarding Lynch’s status with team on Friday.
Among the most interesting were…
1 – At one point mid-season, the team was “getting tired of his act” and there was essentially “no chance” Lynch would be back with the Raiders next year.
If true, has Lynch done enough in the second half of the season to merit a return? Lynch’s numbers have improved but the offense has not.
2 – Lynch’s fiasco against the Chiefs wasn’t received well by some of his teammates, who Tafur says “rolled their eyes” at his antics and subsequent ejection from the game.
This was probably the low point of Lynch’s season. The Raiders did manage to beat the Chiefs without Lynch, but they were fortunate to have pulled it off.
3 – Teammates welcomed Lynch back from suspension “because he is very funny.” This, of course, isn’t open for debate. Lynch is most definitely entertaining, but somehow general manager Reggie McKenzie doesn’t come across as one to be amused by “very funny.”
More importantly, does this report imply that no one in the Raiders’ locker room is comfortable confronting Marshawn when he hurts the team?
4 – Mark Davis is a big fan of Lynch for his football abilities, “but more so because he takes Oakland fans’ minds off the pending move to Las Vegas in 2020.”
Obviously, Davis has a lot on his mind. Winning is important, but getting out of Oakland without a mutiny probably ranks pretty high on his list as well.
For what it’s worth, Beast Mode proved this season that he’s still one of the best running backs in football. If the decision on his future in Oakland is based strictly on his ability to run with a football, of course he’ll be back.
But the decision won’t be that simple.
Even fans are split on the idea of bringing back the team’s most talented running back – as crazy as that sounds to say.
POLL: Should the #Raiders bring back Marshawn Lynch in 2018?
— Raiders Beat (@RaidersBeat) December 29, 2017
In the end, will he be back? Who knows.
Like almost all things Beast Mode, it’s going to be a little complicated…
twitter: @raidersbeat
I’m not sure the juice is worth the squeeze. I’ve seen his show. Frankly I think he’s a classless jerk. He can run, no doubt about it. But does he realize the team doesn’t need a foul mouth court jester? It needs serious people to set the right examples. Can he do that?
Funny how one sided you see things. You call him classless and insinuate that he doesn’t set the right example. Apparently you are not aware of the endless charity work and volunteering that he does. Especially in his hometown. Or even spending his retirement building houses in Haiti after the earthquake. It’s clear that if we had a competent OC, he would have had a good season.
Its not about his ” off field. ” charity work. Yea it’s cool that he does all that stuff but…..who fucking really cares if you’re not living in or near where it’s being done.
We’re talking about his ” on field ” FOOTBALL/LOCKER ROOM…All that other stuff is not a FREE PASS for him to be a disturbance on the team. Not even if he would have been a 1300 yard rusher.
So stop with all the ” he’s so good in the community ” WHO CARES!
Mark Krueger I think you hit the nail on the head. Great comment.
I don’t know, 71% say yes they want him back. If someone won the presidency 71% to 29% they would say he won by a landslide…
Dump him. He should move to Mexico. If the Penn State RB comes out, take him in the first round. Might be there in the middle of the round. Lynch is a MAJOR distraction. If signing him was a PR move, then that backfired. Put a winning product on the field and the fans will come.
On another note, we will see what we are made out of this Sunday. Can we build off this game for next year or do we need to rebuild?
Should have kept what they had on offense from last year, coordinator on down.
I would love to see the results of an Offensive Coordinator who knows how to use Marshawn’s skills correctly, but the conduct on the sideline and in some cases in the game has to grow up to Grown Man, there are enough distraction in playing every play in an effort to win the game without the antics. All eyes should be on drafting deeper in the RB position anyway, what ever happened to George Atkinson III ? Get him off the practice squad and give this guy some work.