Commentary: Lynch retirement is a disappointing but clean break for Seahawks

In true Marshawn Lynch fashion, this tweet might have officially announced his retirement from football on Sunday.

And if that’s the case – if he’s retiring - we give him our endless gratitude. We wish him the absolute best.

But to be perfectly honest, emotions aside, it could be the best-case scenario for everyone involved.

Don’t get me wrong: It’s my opinion, in terms of his playing career in Seattle, Marshawn Lynch deserves to do whatever Marshawn Lynch wants to do. His overall impact on the Seahawks organization reserves him that right. But stepping away from the game would give both sides a clean break – preventing against a nasty divorce, which potentially could happen if Lynch wants to return, and the Hawks let him go.

Remember, Lynch would’ve cost the Seahawks $11.5 million against the salary cap next year – an extraordinary sum.

And whether you or I think he’s worth that much isn’t the issue. If the front office thought it was too much, and he decided to come back, his departure from Seattle could’ve been be polarizing and possibly ugly.

I’m practical, but I’m also a sentimentalist. Marshawn Lynch singlehandedly put the Seahawks on the map. From Day One, Lynch was the epitome of the identity Pete Carroll wanted to establish: Tough, relentless, and unstoppable. “BeastQuake” defined Carroll’s first season, and similar runs only solidified his impact. Marshawn Lynch should always have a place in Seattle – and will always have a place in my heart for his contributions on the way to the franchise’s first Super Bowl title.

More than anything, I’m glad Lynch’s departure is coming on his own terms. That doesn’t happen often for players in the NFL – but retirement actually gave him that option.

Again, if the salary cap wasn’t an issue, I’d be at Lynch’s doorstep, begging him to return. At 30 years old, I’d be curious to see what he had left. I’d wonder if, fully recovered from surgery, Lynch had at least one more season of punishing runs. But with Lynch’s decision, it makes it a moot point. And for the Seahawks, it opens up more spending room for the offensive line and other areas of need.

Remember, the Seahawks are now a different team. A team that learned to play without Lynch successfully the last three months of this year.

All things considered, I’m really not ready for “Beast Mode” to go.

But for better or worse, the end was inevitable. And for better or worse, we all move on from here.