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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...hints-they-could-sign-a-retired-running-back/
Raiders’ radio announcer hints they could sign a retired running back
Posted by Michael David Smith on March 17, 2017
Raiders radio announcer Greg Papa hinted on his show Thursday that Oakland is looking to lure a running back out of retirement to bolster their offense.
“They are talking to a certain running back,” Papa said on 95.7 The Game, via the San Jose Mercury News. “I’ll have to hold this for tomorrow. . . . He did not even play in the NFL last year.”
That immediately led to speculation that it could be Marshawn Lynch, who’s from the area and has said he always wanted to play for the Raiders. Lynch, however, has indicated that he’s done playing. And the Seahawks would still have the rights to Lynch if he were to come out of retirement, so the Raiders could only acquire him in a trade, not as a free agent signing.
Other well-known veterans who didn’t play in an NFL game last year but at least in theory could be back include Ray Rice, Karlos Williams, Bryce Brown, Pierre Thomas and Rashard Mendenhall.
Papa said he would have more to say on Friday’s show, which is odd: If he has legitimate news that the Raiders are going to sign someone, he should want to report it before a competitor does. So there may not be much to this. But it’s at least possible that the replacement for Latavius Murray will be someone no one is thinking about.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...-that-greg-papa-blabbed-about-marshawn-lynch/
People did more than chew. They acted. ESPN uncovered that the unnamed running back was/is Marshawn Lynch. Which now gives the Seahawks a position of strength.
If Lynch had simply unretired with no hint that he has a team in mind, the Seahawks may have simply released him. Instead, they now have reason to try to get something from the Raiders.
The Seahawks also have reason to squeeze the Raiders, since they admission that the team is “talking to” Lynch means that, absence advance permission from the Seahawks, the Raiders are tampering with Lynch.
And that fact that Papa is employed by the Raiders would make it very easy for the league to require that he disclose what he knows within the confines of a tampering investigation. (If Papa had no connection to the team, the NFL would have no authority over him.)
So, basically, Papa’s report has created a complication that the Raiders surely didn’t want. And it could keep them from getting the player they apparently need — without having to give something up for him.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/03/17/seahawks-still-control-marshawn-lynchs-rights/
Seahawks still control Marshawn Lynch’s rights
Posted by Mike Florio on March 17, 2017
Getty Images
Because Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch retired — and because the Seahawks placed him on the reserve/retired list — he remains under contract with Seattle. Before he could play for the Raiders, the Seahawks would have to release him or trade him.
The Seahawks could opt to be coy, taking a page from the ongoing effort of the Cowboys to finagle a trade for Tony Romo. Lynch could force the issue by filing with the league office a request to return (it would be granted automatically) and showing up for the offseason program. That would reinstate his $9 million salary (and cap number) from 2016 onto the Seattle bok.
Before letting him go, the Seahawks could ask for a portion of the $5 million in unearned signing bonus money that was paid to Lynch and not pursued after he retired. Or they could simply explain to the Raiders that, because Seattle paid Lynch money for future services that will be rendered elsewhere, the Raiders have even more reason to compensate the Seahawks via trade.
If a trade happens, the next question becomes whether the Raiders would pay Lynch $9 million for 2017. Given his age (31 next month), his absence from the game for a year, and his overall wear and tear, it’s unknown whether he’d truly make a difference in Oakland. Would his hometown team protect itself by going with a low base salary and a strong incentive package?
Or would the Raiders pay whatever needs to be paid because getting Lynch isn’t just about football? It’s about ensuring that the looming Las Vegas lame ducks can keep the stadium full and the local excitement level high for what could be the last two years in Oakland. Having an immensely popular Oakland native in the fold could do just that.
Raiders’ radio announcer hints they could sign a retired running back
Posted by Michael David Smith on March 17, 2017
Raiders radio announcer Greg Papa hinted on his show Thursday that Oakland is looking to lure a running back out of retirement to bolster their offense.
“They are talking to a certain running back,” Papa said on 95.7 The Game, via the San Jose Mercury News. “I’ll have to hold this for tomorrow. . . . He did not even play in the NFL last year.”
That immediately led to speculation that it could be Marshawn Lynch, who’s from the area and has said he always wanted to play for the Raiders. Lynch, however, has indicated that he’s done playing. And the Seahawks would still have the rights to Lynch if he were to come out of retirement, so the Raiders could only acquire him in a trade, not as a free agent signing.
Other well-known veterans who didn’t play in an NFL game last year but at least in theory could be back include Ray Rice, Karlos Williams, Bryce Brown, Pierre Thomas and Rashard Mendenhall.
Papa said he would have more to say on Friday’s show, which is odd: If he has legitimate news that the Raiders are going to sign someone, he should want to report it before a competitor does. So there may not be much to this. But it’s at least possible that the replacement for Latavius Murray will be someone no one is thinking about.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...-that-greg-papa-blabbed-about-marshawn-lynch/
People did more than chew. They acted. ESPN uncovered that the unnamed running back was/is Marshawn Lynch. Which now gives the Seahawks a position of strength.
If Lynch had simply unretired with no hint that he has a team in mind, the Seahawks may have simply released him. Instead, they now have reason to try to get something from the Raiders.
The Seahawks also have reason to squeeze the Raiders, since they admission that the team is “talking to” Lynch means that, absence advance permission from the Seahawks, the Raiders are tampering with Lynch.
And that fact that Papa is employed by the Raiders would make it very easy for the league to require that he disclose what he knows within the confines of a tampering investigation. (If Papa had no connection to the team, the NFL would have no authority over him.)
So, basically, Papa’s report has created a complication that the Raiders surely didn’t want. And it could keep them from getting the player they apparently need — without having to give something up for him.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/03/17/seahawks-still-control-marshawn-lynchs-rights/
Seahawks still control Marshawn Lynch’s rights
Posted by Mike Florio on March 17, 2017
Because Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch retired — and because the Seahawks placed him on the reserve/retired list — he remains under contract with Seattle. Before he could play for the Raiders, the Seahawks would have to release him or trade him.
The Seahawks could opt to be coy, taking a page from the ongoing effort of the Cowboys to finagle a trade for Tony Romo. Lynch could force the issue by filing with the league office a request to return (it would be granted automatically) and showing up for the offseason program. That would reinstate his $9 million salary (and cap number) from 2016 onto the Seattle bok.
Before letting him go, the Seahawks could ask for a portion of the $5 million in unearned signing bonus money that was paid to Lynch and not pursued after he retired. Or they could simply explain to the Raiders that, because Seattle paid Lynch money for future services that will be rendered elsewhere, the Raiders have even more reason to compensate the Seahawks via trade.
If a trade happens, the next question becomes whether the Raiders would pay Lynch $9 million for 2017. Given his age (31 next month), his absence from the game for a year, and his overall wear and tear, it’s unknown whether he’d truly make a difference in Oakland. Would his hometown team protect itself by going with a low base salary and a strong incentive package?
Or would the Raiders pay whatever needs to be paid because getting Lynch isn’t just about football? It’s about ensuring that the looming Las Vegas lame ducks can keep the stadium full and the local excitement level high for what could be the last two years in Oakland. Having an immensely popular Oakland native in the fold could do just that.
