Rumors have been swirling throughout the NFL on the eve of the league’s trading deadline, which is Tuesday at 1 p.m.
One of those involves the Chargers making a deal for Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch.
The man they call Beast Mode has fallen out of favor with the Seahawks front office after incidents that include an attempted holdout over the offseason and Lynch failing to appear at the White House Super Bowl ceremony.
ESPN threw out a deal of Lynch for Chargers rookie running back Branden Oliver and a fourth-round pick in next year’s draft and other media outlets have been running with it.
If that were the case, the Bolts would be fools not to look long and hard at the trade. Lynch has been one of the best rushers in the league, even if at age 28 he is reaching old-timer status for running backs.
Oliver could be a star in the making, but he could also be the guy every other team in the league passed on in this year’s draft.
It could be well worth the risk.
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Unfortunately, don’t look for that trade to happen. Even at 4-3, the Seahawks still have to consider themselves in the hunt for a playoff berth. It wouldn’t make sense to deal away a guy who knows their offense well for a relatively unproven rookie, especially after they just traded away receiver Percy Harvin to the New York Jets.
Also hampering a deal is the injury to fullback Derrick Coleman, which thins Seattle’s backfield even more and will likely result in a shuffling of roles for backups Christine Michael and Robert Turbin. Many think Michael is their back of the future, but that potential hasn’t turned into success.
All in all, it doesn’t look like the Chargers will get a new toy in the backfield. That’s OK, as starter Ryan Mathews could be ready as early as this week after missing six games with a knee injury.
For Chargers fans, getting a healthy Mathews would be even better than a trade.
