Superstar athlete Marshawn Lynch threw fans for a loop during the Super Bowl 50 game between the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos. The Seattle Seahawks running back tweeted a picture of his cleats hanging from power lines. There have already been rumors swirling that Lynch is planning to retire soon, but some think his post symbolically means that he’s hanging up his football career for good.
Shortly after his tweet was published, Lynch’s teammates, including Richard Sherman and Bruce Irvin, posted messages that seemed to confirm that the photo was, in fact, the athlete’s way of saying goodbye to the NFL.
NFL insiders say the five-time Pro Bowler has been discussing his retirement plans with his team, according to ESPN. Some speculate that his decision may have something to do with the hamstring injury he suffered early in the season and the abdominal surgery he underwent in November, which led him to be sidelined for the last seven games of the regular season.
In January, Seahawks general manager John Schneider had revealed that Lynch was “leaning toward” retiring, and now it looks as though he’s made his choice.
It may seem a bit early to retire at Lynch’s age (he’ll be 30 in April), but considering he may still have just about all of his earning from his entire career, he may fair quite well after he leaves the field for good.
According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the football star “hasn’t spent a dime of his money,” meaning he has roughly $50 million from the NFL saved. Business Insider suggests that Lynch has likely been living off of his endorsement earnings, from which he makes an estimated $5 million per year.
There’s also the question of what Lynch will do once he’s officially finished with football. He already has a clothing brand, Beast Mode, and he also does a lot of humanitarian work for inner-city youth. So perhaps he’ll soon be taking on these projects full-time.
If Lynch really does retire this off-season, it would be a fitting goodbye coming from a man known to make quiet, yet brilliantly calculated moves.
