Who is LB Aaron Lynch? A primer on the latest player linked to Seahawks
Mar 19, 2019, 1:59 PM | Updated: 2:46 pm
Free agent LB Aaron Lynch is rumored to have visited the Seahawks Tuesday. (Getty)
(Getty)
As they enter the second week of free agency, the Seahawks have been tied to a couple free agents, including wide receiver Jordy Nelson and outside linebacker Aaron Lynch.
Seahawks would be better off extending Russell Wilson now
Nelson, who 710 ESPN Seattle’s Brock Huard talked about whether or not would be a good fit for Seattle, is someone Seahawks fans are already plenty familiar with as the veteran wide receiver spent nine years of his career with the Green Bay Packers, a regular foe in the NFC.
Less familiar, however, is Lynch. And while Nelson’s résumé is intriguing, Lynch could offer immediate help to a Seahawks team looking to replenish its pass rush.
Here’s what you need to know:
Lynch was drafted by the 49ers in 2014
In a combined two years at both Notre Dame and the University of South Florida, the 6-feet-6, 270-pound Lynch recorded 36 tackles, 10.5 sacks, and one touchdown. He’s already familiar with the Seahawks’ offense; Lynch was a fourth-round draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2014 and played four seasons in the NFC West.
He spent last season with the Chicago Bears
Lynch signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Chicago Bears in 2018. The move brought a switch from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense, and also reunited Lynch with his former defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio. Lynch’s best outing came in a Week 4 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when he recorded three tackles, two quarterback hits, and an interception.
His strongest season was 2015
It doesn’t sound especially promising that Lynch’s strongest season was four years ago, but as a plus for the Seahawks, it could make a deal more affordable for a team that has just over $15 million in cap space.
A stellar rookie debut resulted in a bigger role for Lynch in 2015. He started 13 games and recorded 6.5 sacks and 38 combined tackles.
Since then, though, he has made a combined six starts. While his final season in San Francisco saw his poorest performance, his 2018 season in Chicago brought an uptick in sacks (1 in 2017; 3 in 2018), tackles (9 in 2017; 16 in 2018) and quarterback hits (5 in 2017; 8 in 2018), and Lynch also recorded his first career interception.
