Why Marshawn Lynch Would Even Consider Retirement

Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch is 28 years old. He's only been able to legally drink for seven years and won't be eligible to become president of the United States for another seven years. Census statistics indicate that in his home state of California, the majority of males his age have yet to get married or have kids. 

And yet in the wacky world of professional football, Lynch is closer to the end of his career than the beginning. In fact, it's not unfathomable that Lynch could retire right here and now. Such a move would be surprising, considering he's coming off his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl season, but it wouldn't rock the sports world. 

That explains why few of us are expressing utter shock over the fact that Seahawks general manager John Schneider suggested during an interview with 710 ESPN Seattle radio this week that Lynch's NFL future is completely up in the air.

"Whether or not he wants to play next year, I can't answer that," Schneider said, via Brady Henderson of 710 ESPN Seattle. "I don't know if he knows at this juncture."

Now, this could be front office posturing. Per Spotrac, Lynch is slated to carry an $8.5 million cap number in 2015—the final year of his current contract—and Schneider stated "he's not going to be playing at the same number he's scheduled to make."

But Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio also wrote on Tuesday that he'd "been hearing consistently since the Super Bowl ended" that it's not known whether Lynch will return for a ninth NFL season. Similar rumors circled last offseason after the Seahawks beat the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl, and again when he held out at the start of training camp.

The thing about Lynch is he's not a normal cat; he's quiet and unpredictable. 

If he were to walk away today, he'd be a year-and-a-half younger than Barry Sanders was when he famously retired while arguably still in his prime in 1998. As Sanders noted in an NFL Films documentary in 2012, via DetroitLions.com, he made that decision partially because he had lost the "drive, determination and enjoyment" for the game.

Sanders noted that he didn't care enough about individual accolades to stick around and play for a Detroit Lions team that "would probably be rebuilding." The Seahawks aren't rebuilding, but Lynch has already experienced the pinnacle of success with them, and he doesn't strike me as someone who cares about padding his personal football resume. 

Besides, there's a very good chance Lynch's best days are behind him. He led the league in broken tackles and averaged more yards after contact than any back with at least 50 carries in 2014, according to Pro Football Focus, and his yards-per-attempt average rose half a yard in a season in which he recorded a career-high 17 total touchdowns. But running backs don't age gracefully, and Lynch, who turns 29 in April, is about to hit "that age." 

For a cautionary tale, look no further than Seattle circa 2005. That year, a 28-year-old Shaun Alexander had a ridiculous 1,880-yard, 27-touchdown season, earning MVP honors. But the very next year, Alexander's YPA average plummeted from 5.1 to 3.6. He'd never rush for 1,000 yards again and was finished in Seattle in 2007. 

Alexander wasn't an aberration. 

Back	Age 28	Age 29	Age 30
Mike Garrett	1031	467	Gone
O.J. Simpson	1817	1503	557
Dave Hampton	1002	291	Gone
Lydell Mitchell	1159	820	211
Earl Campbell	1301	468	643
Billy Sims	1040	687	Gone
George Rogers	1203	613	Gone
Eric Dickerson	1659	1311	677
Roger Craig	1502	1054	439
Earnest Byner	1219	1048	998
Terry Allen	1353	724	700
Adrian Murrell	1042	553	50
Jerome Bettis	1341	1072	666
Jamal Anderson	1024	190	Gone
Marshall Faulk	1382	953	818
Shaun Alexander	1880	896	716
Deuce McAllister	1057	92	418
Travis Henry	1211	691	Gone
LaDainian Tomlinson	1474	1110	730
Brian Westbrook	1333	936	274
Jamal Lewis	1304	1002	500
Michael Turner	1371	1340	800
Cedric Benson	1111	1067	248
Steven Jackson	1145	1045	543

But if Lynch were to quit the game suddenly, it'd be about more than his trajectory as a football player. 

Lynch hardly spoke publicly before or after this year's Super Bowl in Arizona, but when he was asked about the team's decision to pass rather than hand off to him on the game-clinching play from the 1-yard line, he stated modestly that "football is a team sport."

Lynch might love football, but it's also clear he doesn't love everything that comes with playing in the NFL. He's been fined heavily for refusing to speak to the media and wouldn't budge from canned responses when reluctantly participating in slivered segments of media sessions at the last two Super Bowls. 

Does a man who has already achieved the ultimate team accomplishment and who has already made over $40 million in his career really feel the need to stick around for more punishment, both on the field and in front of the cameras? 

Lynch reminds me of former Pro Bowl running back Ricky Williams, who abruptly retired as a 26-year-old after a 1,300-yard season in 2003. Williams was facing a drug suspension, but like Lynch, he was a California kid with a mentality that didn't seem to suit the NFL. He had unique values and priorities, and so does Lynch. 

They both seem to realize that there's a lot more to life than football. 

One thing Lynch isn't shy about is his love and adoration for his hometown of Oakland, California. A lot of us have hometown pride, but listen to him speak about Oakland and you realize that this man has a special connection to "The Town."

"Everything about Oakland," he told NFL Media's Michael Silver last year, "is everything about me."

Oakland has similar sentiments for him. 

"He is like the mayor of Oakland," said Kevin Parker, an Oakland native and one of Lynch's mentors, per Silver. "He is probably the biggest name in Oakland, not because of what he does so much on the field, but because of what he does in the community."

Would it really surprise you if Lynch were to decide to leave all of this behind right now and return to Oakland in order to focus on his city, his charities and whatever else life has to offer beyond pro football? 

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012.

Follow @Brad_Gagnon