Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks Agree on New Contract: Latest Details and Reaction

After an eventful 12 months, which included a holdout and retirement talk, running back Marshawn Lynch will remain with the Seattle Seahawks after signing a contract extension Friday. 

The Seahawks announced the deal via Twitter:

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NFL.com's Ian Rapoport provided contract details:

ESPN's Adam Schefter previously reported Lynch was headed back to Seattle after reaching a deal.

Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports revealed why the deal took so long to take place:

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Whether Marshawn Lynch returns for '15 hasn't been mostly about money lately. They've had a loose agreement for a while and the contract parameters were going to be the easy part.

The bigger challenge was the team's desire to make sure they're on the same page regarding his relationship with the front office, the coaching staff and the media, as well as his role as a leader in that locker room.

That's what today's meeting is about and why both sides aren't yet confirming Lynch's return.

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John Boyle of The Herald (Everett) provided comments from Lynch's agent, Doug Hendrickson, who weighed in on the reports about the running back's relationship with the Seahawks:

Even though there wasn't an urgent incentive for Seattle to give Lynch a new deal—he was under contract through the 2015 season—the team decided paying its star running back was the right move. 

There have been rumblings since the weekend of Super Bowl XLIX that Lynch would get the extension he has long desired. Rapoport described the particulars of the extension, noting that the Seahawks doubled Lynch's 2015 salary in the deal.

Paying veteran running backs big money in today's NFL is usually taboo, but Lynch's value to the Seahawks has been off the charts since they acquired him from the Bills in 2010. The 28-year-old has run for at least 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns in every season with the Seahawks, and he led the league in rushing touchdowns each of the last two years.

Because the Seahawks are a run-first team, Lynch is arguably the most essential piece of the offensive puzzle, and Seattle has now ensured its future in giving one of its best players the contract he wanted. 

Now, the pressure is on Lynch to keep putting up astronomical numbers. He may be getting old by running back standards, but no one will run harder than the man known as Beast Mode.

Seattle's core offensive game plan will remain intact for the foreseeable future with Lynch in the backfield, and the rest of the league will have to figure out a way to stop 2014's best rushing attack.

That hasn't happened yet, so don't expect the walls to come crashing down on Lynch or Seattle in 2015. He has the running style and body type to be a productive player well into his 30s.