Reasons Marshawn Lynch is both right and wrong to holdout

WHY LYNCH IS RIGHT

Jun 17, 2014; Renton, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (24) talks with a teammate during minicamp at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Lynch knows what he means to the Seahawks and while he is in the middle of his four-year, $30 million contract, he is watching other valuable Seahawks get big time pay raises.

Michael Bennett signed a four-year, $28.5 million contract after publicly stating that he wouldn’t accept a discount to stay in Seattle. Then Richard Sherman got a fresh four-year, $56 million deal and Earl Thomas inked a four-year, $40 million deal.

Russell Wilson is expected to get a contract similar to Colin Kaepernick‘s six-year, $126 million deal next season and while Lynch will likely get nothing close to that kind of money, he doesn’t want to get left behind.

Earlier this week, Jamaal Charles signed a two-year, $18.1 million extension with the Kansas City Chiefs after threatening to holdout of training camp.

Lynch feels he is worth an extension somewhere in that ballpark and he has certainly proved it on the gridiron.

He knows his value to the team and he may be holding out to see how much respect the team has for him. If they act like it’s no big deal and ignore him, Lynch could view that as disrespect while feeling that he isn’t viewed as important enough to negotiate with.

I mean, if Wilson threatened to holdout, you think the Seahawks would let him? Probably not.

While Lynch is focused on the money, Seattle is focused on winning, and they know that will be very difficult to do if Lynch is not happy.

Lynch knows that and he is using it as leverage.