Seahawks, Raiders agree to trade for Marshawn Lynch's rights
By Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport NFL.com
If all goes according to plan, Marshawn Lynch officially will be a member of the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday.
Lynch's representatives and the Raiders have agreed to terms on a contract, and the team has hashed out the details of a trade for Lynch's rights with the Seahawks, multiple sources informed of the negotiations on both sides of the deal said.
The draft compensation will be a swap of late-round picks in 2018.
The only thing standing in the way of the five-time Pro Bowl running back's return is for him to take a physical with the Raiders. Two sources said the team expects Lynch to take the physical Wednesday after he returns to the Bay Area from his trip to Haiti, where he and his former Seahawks teammates Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett have been touring the country to help build schools and houses.
Lynch was slated to be back in the country on Tuesday but didn't catch his flight.
As is nearly always the case with Lynch, nothing is done until it's done. All parties involved were wary of celebrating a deal until Lynch sets foot on the mainland and meets with those necessary to complete a deal. But at this point, sources directly involved in the situation are confident it'll get done.
The Raiders and Lynch have, in recent days, agreed to terms on a contract for the 2017 season. After weeks of negotiation, Oakland agreed to pay Lynch a $3 million base, with a chance to make $2 million more if he gains 1,000 yards.
The max value of the contract is $8.5 million.
Why a swap of late-round picks in the future? A source said both teams didn't want any uncertainty surrounding this year's picks so close to the start of the draft.
Lynch is also required -- eventually, but not immediately -- to file papers to unretire.
As soon as Lynch completes the physical, it will cap off months of speculation about his return. He met with the Raiders on April 5 and expressed his desire to play for them. He told them he only wants to play for his hometown team in what amounted to a recruiting visit.
"I think it would be awesome just to have him around," quarterback Derek Carr told NFL Network's Steve Wyche two weeks ago. "He's a great teammate from everyone that I've talked to from the couple of Seahawks that we've had on our team. They love him.รข€
If all goes according to plan today, Carr will find out.
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