Oakland Raiders Rumors: Marshawn Lynch Headed to Black Hole?

By all reports, the Seattle Seahawks and Marshawn Lynch will be getting a divorce this offseason. If that is in fact the case, there will be several teams vying for Beast Mode’s affection, and one believed to be in serious consideration is the Oakland Raiders.

First and foremost, the Raiders desperately need help in the running game. Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew are wastes of roster spots at this point in their respective careers. Latavius Murray showed promising signs down the stretch in 2014, but is a bit of an injury liability.

By adding Lynch, the Raiders would be getting arguably one of the best running backs in the NFL while he still has a couple of solid years left on the tires. He’s battled numerous injuries throughout the 2014 campaign, but showed time and time again he can be a game-changer. And with Murray in the mix, the Raiders would be able to split the load and take some of the weight off Lynch’s shoulders.

While it’s obvious that the Raiders aren’t exactly an ideal destination for a player used to playing for contenders, there is one factor leaning in Mark Davis’ favor: location.

Lynch was born and raised in Oakland, and played his college ball at Cal. He clearly has ties to the area, and chances are he wouldn’t mind making a move down to his old stomping grounds. Plus, he’d be able to stay on the West Coast.

There’s no denying that, if Lynch hit the open market, there would be several suitors knocking down his door hoping he’d sign on the dotted line. The Raiders will definitely be one of them if that scenario plays out, and you have to imagine they stand a good chance of convincing him to come home.