BRENT STECKER

Will Marshawn Lynch be back with the Seahawks again in 2020?

Jan 14, 2020, 10:19 AM | Updated: 10:57 am

Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch...

Marshawn Lynch ran for four touchdowns in three games back with the Seahawks. (AP)

(AP)

When the Seahawks’ 2019 season is far enough in the rear-view mirror to look back on, it may be remembered most for something nobody saw coming: Marshawn Lynch’s return.

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Lynch came out of retirement – for a second time – to suit up for the Seahawks, something that had not happened since the 2015 season. He gave Seattle help when it needed it most, which was after No. 1 and No. 3 running backs Chris Carson and C.J. Prosise both joined No. 2 running back Rashaad Penny on injured reserve after Week 16.

While Lynch wasn’t exactly the same player he was when he first left Seattle, he did produce in his three games back. Despite averaging just 2.1 yards per carry (63 yards on 30 carries), he was almost like an old school fullback in that he rushed for four touchdowns in his three games, all in goal-line situations.

Now that the season is over, it needs to be asked if Lynch will he have a role with the Seahawks in 2020 – or if he even wants one. He came back to Seattle citing “unfinished business,” but he is a 33-year-old player who is business-savvy and financially sound, and there is the fact that he’s already retired twice from the NFL.

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll seemed to keep the door open on another return from Lynch when speaking during his season-ending press conference Monday afternoon.

“We’re open to whatever. We’ll look at everything. I can’t tell you right now,” Carroll said when asked if Seattle would consider an arrangement to have Lynch play a partial season in 2020, much like this season.

Not surprisingly, it sounds like Lynch hasn’t indicated whether he’s considering playing on.

“He’s going to go home and think about it,” Carroll said. “We were all very fortunate to have a chance to see Marshawn come back and play again. To score four touchdowns in the last three weeks, it was pretty cool. Just being Marshawn down inside the 5-yard line, he was nails. I don’t know, I don’t know what he’s going to do. I don’t think he knows yet.”

Lynch was asked during a surprising press conference in Green Bay after the Seahawks’ 28-23 playoff loss Sunday whether he would come back, and he didn’t give a clear answer. And while Lynch did give some short responses to questions from media members, it was clear his intention for the press conference was to deliver a message to fellow athletes. After entertaining a few questions, he cut one off and delivered an insightful, entertaining and truly one-of-a-kind statement on the importance of taking care of one’s money and health – both physical and mental.

In an attempt to read the tea leaves, his statement Sunday night sure seemed like part of the “unfinished business” he returned to take care of. That may have been the way he wanted to end his career – scoring a few touchdowns in the postseason for the team he enjoyed the majority of his pro success with, then delivering a message to the younger generation.

But this is Marshawn Lynch we’re talking about. The player who announced his first retirement with a tweet of a picture of his cleats hanging from a power line and a peace sign emoji – during the Super Bowl. The player who spent most of his time in the NFL dodging the press, only to become a media darling for his appearances on Conan O’Brien’s TV show. The player whose career seemingly ended in an injury playing against the Seahawks, only for him to come back for a three-game run with the Seahawks over a full year later.

Point being, don’t try to guess what Lynch will do next. Unless you like being wrong.

Follow 710 ESPN Seattle’s Brent Stecker on Twitter.

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