Ghost-riding in The Bay. Photo by Kelley L. Cox—USA Today Sports
After a month of teasing a return, Marshawn Lynch will apparently be joining his hometown Oakland Raiders, according to a report by Sports Illustrated's Mike Silver. The Raiders only have to come to a trade agreement with Seattle, which still owns Lynch's rights, in order to finalize the deal. If it's not an official signing quite yet, the wheels are now very much in motion for a homecoming.Lynch grew up in Oakland, and has always been fanatically loyal to the city. He's long been a prolific philanthropist in his hometown community, and opened up a Beast Mode brand and retail store in downtown Oakland. For a team whose image has lately been pocked by franchise pageboy Mark Davis' let's say self-interested decision to relocated the Raiders to Las Vegas, Lynch's return might well be the only thing, short of a Super Bowl, that could sustain the goodwill of Oakland fans. We can probably assume that Lynch's is no more than a two-year contract; it's hard to imagine him having much interest in carrying the ball for the (projected) 2019 Las Vegas Raiders.UPDATE:It seems that there's no real strict definition to the talks surrounding Lynch's agreement. But things are inching closer.
This story is fluid and evolving and happening in real time. We will keep you posted at @nflnetwork https://t.co/VX6wffHAdn
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) April 14, 2017