Getty Marshawn Lynch runs the ball in a game against the Miami Dolphins.
Marshawn Lynch had a turbulent tenure with the Buffalo Bills, and now the former All-Pro running back is reflecting on his difficult time with another team.
Lynch spoke out about his tenure with the Seattle Seahawks, where he played from 2010 to 2015, saying he never quite gelled with head coach Pete Carroll and had no personal relationship with quarterback Russell Wilson. Though the trio won a Super Bowl together, Lynch revealed that he never had a close relationship with either of them and appears to maintain some animosity about his tenure in Seattle.
Marshawn Lynch: ‘Russ Was Just a Quarterback for Me’
Speaking to Shannon Sharpe on the Club Shay Shay podcast this week, the 37-year-old Lynch said that he didn’t have much to say when reflecting on his tenure with the Seahawks.
“I wouldn’t be the right person to speak on their relationship because I didn’t f*** with them. … I didn’t f*** with Pete, and then I mean Russ was just a quarterback for me,” Lynch said.
Lynch said that he no longer had a relationship with Wilson, saying that he didn’t even have Wilson’s phone number.
“I respect Russell as a player and as a teammate. … Anything that I say is gonna come off as malice or as if I’m a hater. … I’ll take Russell, and I’ll put him right there at quarterback, and I’ll rock with him, because I have done that. But as far as anything else… No, there’s no, you can’t pick up the phone and call ol’ boy or nothing,” he said.
Marshawn Lynch on Russell Wilson blocking his number:
“Russ was just a QB for me… I don’t have his number.”
Lynch also took aim at Carroll, saying there were times that he believed his head coach refused to hold Wilson accountable.
“Pete tell them like, ‘Aye … nobody go and talk to Russell … if anybody got something to say to Russell come talk to me. Come talk to the quarterback coach, but nobody go and talk to him.’ “
The Seahawks had plenty of success on the field during Lynch’s tenure, with the team going 51-32 during his time and appearing in two Super Bowls, winning one. By contrast, Lynch was 18-27 in his three-plus seasons in Buffalo, a time when the team won no more than seven games in any one season.
Marshawn Lynch Keeps Ties in Buffalo
Despite a turbulent tenure that included off-the-field legal issues and a 2010 trade to the Seahawks, Lynch has maintained ties with the Bills, returning to Buffalo as a Bills Legend of the Game in November 2021.
Lynch came to the Bills as the 12th overall pick in the 2007 NFL draft, moving into a starting role immediately. Lynch had 2,765 yards and 17 touchdowns during his 45 career games in Buffalo, adding 94 receptions for 670 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.
The Bills moved on from Lynch in 2010 amid a rebuild, moving him to the Seahawks in a trade that allowed Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller to take over the backfield in Buffalo.
Though Lynch had a slow start in Seattle, averaging just 3.5 rushing yards per attempt in his first season, he ultimately had 785 carries for 3,370 yards and 44 touchdowns in 42 career games.