Just as Marshawn Lynch became the Skittles-loving face of the Seattle Seahawks, he could just as quickly be leaving town.
Or he could remain part of the foundation that led to the Seahawks' turnaround in the second half of the season.
Lynch tops the list of 18 unrestricted free agents that the Seahawks must make decisions on this offseason. The list features seven starters from Seattle's season finale last Sunday in Arizona, plus a few former starters who missed all or parts of the season with injuries.
"Our first concern is to take care of our team and take care of the guys that are unrestricted on our football team and fit that back together," coach Pete Carroll said this week.
It starts with Lynch.
Coming off the finest season of his career, Lynch is at the peak of his NFL financial prospects. He's 25, has just rushed for 1,204 yards and 12 touchdowns and embodies the attitude Carroll wants the rest of his roster to emulate. Lynch also showed a maturity this season that might have been absent in the past.
When Seattle was struggling at midseason and Lynch had rushed for more than 80 yards just once, Lynch sat down with assistant head coach Tom Cable to ask how he could become more productive.
The result was six 100-yard games over the final nine weeks. In the three games during which Lynch failed to top 100 yards, he rushed for more than 80 twice and had two touchdowns rushing the other time.
"He was more than willing to say, 'Teach me, I'll do it the way you need it and don't let me off the hook if I don't do it right,'" Cable said. "So big, big props, if you will, to him to have that kind of integrity and discipline and desire to be great at it."
If Lynch stays in Seattle and the team's O-line stays relatively intact, he looks like he'll hold late-1st/early-2nd value heading into this summer's fantasy drafts.
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