Return of the Beast? Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks Reunion in Works

Get your Skittles ready, Seahawk fans. “Beast Mode” could be back in navy blue and action green.

In a development that seemed impossible a mere 24 hours ago, coach Pete Carroll indicated on his weekly radio show on ESPN 710 that Lynch would be flying to Seattle for a physical and could re-sign with the team before the end of the day, coming out of retirement for a second time.

“I’m fired up for it,” Carroll said. “He’s got to get through some hoops he’s got to jump through, just a physical and stuff like that. But he has been working really hard, he’s really excited about the chance to do something helping out, and I think it’s freakin’ great if he can get out there and tote the ball for us.”

Over the past month, the Seahawks have been decimated by injuries at the running back position. First, second-year runner Rashaad Penny tore his left ACL during the opening drive of a Week 14 loss to the Rams and was lost for the season. Then in Sunday’s home loss to the Cardinals, Chris Carson and C.J. Prosise both went down with year-ending injuries, leaving only rookie Travis Homer on the depth chart.

Desperate for backfield reinforcements, Carroll said Schneider has been connected with Lynch for a while in case such a situation arose. The 33-year old back has been working out and staying in shape in “case something came up.”

Missing their top three backs, the stars aligned for a reunion with hopes Lynch still has enough left in the tank to help the team win an NFC West title next weekend and make noise in the playoffs.

“The circumstances rolled just at this time,” Carroll commented. “And he could have four or five games left in him, maybe that’s what we need.”

Lynch last played for the Raiders during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, with his final game interestingly enough coming against the Seahawks in London. After a one-year hiatus in 2016, Seattle traded him to Oakland and he rushed for 1,267 yards and 10 touchdowns in 21 games for his hometown team.

Serving as the tone setter for two Super Bowl squads with the Seahawks, Lynch became best known for his innate ability to break tackles and run through defenders. Appearing in four Pro Bowls and earning First-Team All-Pro accolades in 2012, he played parts of six seasons in Seattle, rushing for over 1,200 yards four consecutive seasons and scoring 57 rushing touchdowns.

“There’s a lot of history here that’s great history,” Carroll said. “There was nobody that ever amplified the kind of mentality and toughness that we like to play with. So, if we get a chance to get the Beast back on the field, we’ll see how that works out.”

Lynch still has to pass his physical and based on past precedent, there’s always a chance he could change his mind and decide he’s not wanting to come back after all. But considering he’s been training and quickly boarded a plane for Seattle for this opportunity, it seems likely he’ll be back in uniform soon.