Marshawn Lynch deal extension still in negotiation stage, and not imminent per report

On Super Bowl Sunday, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the Seahawks have offered running back Marshawn Lynch a new, multi-year contract extension. Per that report, Seattle "not only wants Marshawn Lynch around next year, but they've made a significant commitment to keep him on their team, possibly, for the rest of his career." As noted Sunday, Lynch has not accepted the deal, nor has his camp commented on it, but Pete Carroll confirmed it, sort of, before downplaying how far along things were. "We'll see," he said. "We've been in the midst of negotiations for a long time for the future. So we'll see how that goes."

I'd assume Carroll would take this conservative tenor until the ink is on paper, but it's interesting that he did admit the team is negotiating with Lynch for a longer-term deal, notable because Lynch is still under contract next season.

The Seattle Times' Bob Condotta reported on Sunday that a "team official confirmed that the Seahawks would like to extend Lynch's contract, but noted that nothing could happen until the new league year starts in March." Condotta also wrote that "another source ...said that the reports that the talks have been ongoing is overblown and that nothing is imminent."

So. As per usual, multiple reports with varying versions of what's going on. Rapoport reported that Lynch's new deal is expected to be worth north of $10 million in 2015, more than double his $5 million salary number on his current deal.

Per Rapsheet, the Hawks believe that Lynch has outplayed his contract, and want to reward him for that. The new offer also comes as an enticement to Lynch to put off retirement, apparently an option he's considered.

My personal guess is that Lynch will take the next few weeks, possibly months, to negotiate and to consider his options, so we will probably not hear a whole lot more on this for a while. What we do know now, though, is that apparently the Seahawks are not looking to offload their bellcow back, as had been reported frequently during the season.