NFL Trade Machine: Marshawn Lynch A Quiet Target

With all the talk about Adrian Peterson, many forget that Marshawn Lynch could very well be an NFL trade target in 2015.  Why not?  The 28-year old running back is one of the best at his position in the league, a touchdown machine and player who can be the focal point of an offense.  Throw in the fact he plays for a franchise in the Seattle Seahawks that has become notorious for wheeling and dealing and it’s not that big of a stretch to think Lynch is prime trade bait.

This is especially true since he’s still under contract until 2016.  That means any team that trades for him in 2015 would only have to hoist his salary cap number for one season and then be free of it.  In other words they get to rent a premier running back with championship experience for a season and then move on if things don’t work out.  Lynch will bring a cap hit of $8.5 million next season.  That is almost half of what Peterson would bring if traded from the Vikings and he’s actually a year younger.  So the value scale certainly tips in the favor of any team that wants to make a deal.

There would be no shortage of interest either.

"“The Seattle Seahawks may look at a Marshawn Lynch trade or release the running back after this season into 2015, as reports have Pete Carroll and the organization tired of his antics off the field…”"

Several contending teams including Indianapolis, Denver, Arizona, and Detroit might jump at the chance to get a workhorse like Marshawn Lynch in their backfield.  The Seattle Seahawks insist they want him back, but the signs are there that the two sides may be drifting apart.  An NFL trade was and remains a possibility.