Marshawn Lynch shows up to attend Seahawks minicamp

Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch is expected to attend Seattle's mandatory three-day minicamp this week, reports ESPN's Terry Blount. Neither the team nor Lynch have commented publicly about the threats of retirement or a holdout, and apparently this saga will end before it starts.

The mini-camp starts at 1:30 PM today, and assuming he's on the field (update: he is), this ends speculation over a protracted contract dispute with the Seahawks' offensive stalwart. According to Blount's source, Lynch has agreed to take part in offseason team activities "while the team tries to work something out on the running back's desired changes to his contract," adding, "sources say Lynch does not want to pay the fine, believing the Seahawks will negotiate with him in good faith."

This makes sense. Lynch will avoid paying fines while negotiating with the team that rewarded him with a four-year, $31M deal in 2012. While all signs point to the team parting ways with Lynch in 2015 (he'll be 29 with a $9M cap hit), the bell-cow back will probably try to get a little bit more of his contract money moved into this season or perhaps renegotiate some of his bonus escalators (currently set for $500,000 if he reaches 1,500 yards).

It's unclear how much leverage Lynch will have with the team, who are loath to set a precedent of re-negotiating deals only two years in, but we shall see. Ultimately, the team likely does value Lynch highly, or they should, anyway, and it will be interesting to see if they find a way to placate him. Former Seahawk Jordan Babineaux noted that Lynch simply wants a "token of appreciation" from the team for this upcoming season based on his performance last year.