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In wake of the hiring of Jon Gruden as the next head coach of the Oakland Raiders, the future of former Pro Bowl running Marshawn Lynch has been put into question.
According to Lisa Olson of The Athletic, Lynch is expected meet up with Gruden to discuss his role with the team in 2018.
The two are tentatively scheduled to meet soon, possibly in the next two weeks, according to one of Lynch’s non-football traveling companions. But then Lynch is also talking about doing some charity work in Haiti, and has some fresh ideas for his clothing line, and wants to get more involved with the business side of the music scene and follow up on talks he’s had with Bay Area restaurateurs and, well, he’s not exactly spending the offseason sipping cold ones on a sunny island.
The 31-year-old is set to enter the final year of his two-year, $9 million deal that has $6 million on the books, with $4 million coming in base salary and $2 million in bonuses. In his first season back from retirement, Lynch was quite productive, rushing for 891 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games played. This includes recording more than 100 rushing yards twice, and more than 60 yards in each of the last seven games he played.
Gruden already voiced a strong desire to bring back Lynch next season despite not speaking to him personally. He has much respect for the former Pro Bowler's commitment to the team and love for the city of Oakland.
This meeting will likely impact the direction Gruden and the Raiders take with him this upcoming season, and possibly beyond that. There is a scenario where he could ease back into retirement if the team were to part ways with him. At the same time, he could be their workhorse running back next year in Gruden's offense.
