Source: Christian Petersen / Getty
Looks like “Beast Mode” will be shut down once and for all, as Marshawn Lynch will be retiring from the National Football League, per ESPN. This news comes after Lynch returned from a one-year hiatus to play for his hometown Oakland Raiders for two seasons.
Lynch, who just turned 33 this week, plans to move on in the next phase of his life mere days before the NFL Draft. While he wasn’t on the Raiders roster at the time of his announcement, Marshawn’s departure leaves a hole in the team’s running game. Lynch would tally 1,267 yards in 297 carries within his two seasons with the Raiders and would light the Al Davis Torch in what was the Raiders final game in Oakland.
In his 11 full NFL seasons, his most prolific years came with the Seattle Seahawks. It was there when he earned four Pro Bowl nods, two All-Pro awards, and a Super Bowl ring in 2014. He would also record four straight seasons with Seattle (2011-2014) rushing for at least 1,200 yards. Lynch would make his first retirement in 2016 before he was traded in the 2017 offseason to Oakland.
In total, he would be a 5-time Pro Bowler, fourth-ranked in all active players with 10,379 rushing yards and fifth in touchdowns (93) and combined yards (12,593) for a running back.
Lynch’s first retirement came on February 7, 2016, the same day as Super Bowl 50 but returned to the game the following year because of the Raider’s impending move to Las Vegas and he wanted to see Oakland kids see a homegrown star put on for their city before the relocation.
“With me being from here and continuing to be here, it gives them an opportunity to see someone who actually did it, who is from where they’re from, someone they probably idolized,” Lynch said.
Not only will Beastmode be missed, but the fun and antics he brought to the field —and off it— will be as well.
Oakland Raiders Running Back Marshawn Lynch Set to Retire… Again was originally published on cassiuslife.com
