Report: Oakland Raiders could cut Marshawn Lynch

There has been a lot of chatter from the Oakland Raiders about their plans for former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch. Head coach Jon Gruden indicated recently that he wants the 32-year-old Lynch to be their “full-time” guy. Unrelated, but Gruden also hates analytics and wants to go back to 1998.

Despite the public comments from Gruden, as well as GM Reggie McKenzie, the future of Lynch, as well as allegedly mediocre wide receiver Michael Crabtree, are very much up in the air.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Crabtree and Lynch could both wind up as cap casualties. Lynch’s cap hit is just under $6 million, and his guaranteed base salary for 2018 is $4 million, with a $1 million roster bonus gained unless he’s cut before March 18th. For what it’s worth, Crabtree’s salary is $7 million, with more than $1 million in potential bonuses. Unlike Lynch, who finished December as one of the most effective backs in the NFL, Crabtree saw a reduction in play as the Raiders finished a disappointing 6-10.

In other words, both men are on the wrong side of 30 and their respective salaries are not ideal.

Seattle is scheduled to play Oakland in London on October 14th, so while expectation was that Lynch would be facing his old team, there’s a little bit less certainty that this will actually happen.