For a person that doesn’t say much, Marshawn Lynch has become one of the most polarizing figures in the league. While Seattle is still mulling over their heartbreaking Super Bowl defeat, the franchise must move on to the off-season, which headlines the future of Lynch.

The soon to be 29-year old has one year left on his contract, which would hit $8.5 million against the cap. Assuming Lynch makes that money next season, he would be the fifth highest paid running back in the league.

With all of that being said, there’s been speculation of Lynch contemplating retirement. Michael Robinson, a former teammate and close friend of Lynch’s, doesn’t even know what’s going through his head.

“I don’t know exactly what Marshawn is thinking,” Robinson said. “I don’t think anyone knows exactly what he’s thinking. But what I do know is that the guys in that locker room mean the world to him. What I do know is that he’s the best running back in National Football League. And what I also know is he is under contract next year.”

Seahawks general manager John Schneider wants Lynch to remain in Seattle.

“Obviously, with think he’s a hell of a player. We want to have him back. He knows that. His representatives know that,” Schneider said Tuesday on 710 ESPN in Seattle. “He knows that if he’s back he’s not going to be playing at the same number he’s scheduled to make. He’s a guy that is a heartbeat guy that we’d love to have back. Now, whether or not he wants to play next year, I can’t answer that. I don’t know if he knows at this juncture.”

This past season, Lynch rushed for 1,306 yards while finding the end zone 17 times. It was arguably the best season of his career, which is why the Seahawks brass wants him back.

However, at the same time, Seattle must be careful before they invest in Lynch. We all know about how running backs begin to decline as they near 30 and with the way Lynch runs, there’s cause for concern. There’s no other back in the league that runs as violent and demands multiple defenders to bring him down like Lynch does.

Although head coach Pete Carroll didn’t give Lynch the ball at the one yard line, he still doesn’t want to see his star back leave. 

“He’s under contract next year, we’d love to have him back. There’s no hesitation in us saying that and there never has been. We’d be thrilled to have him playing for us next year. We’ll do everything to get that done.”

Despite his troubling age, Seattle must also ask themselves if Lynch is worth all the extra shenanigans?

Lynch has been fined on numerous occasions for not ‘talking’ to the media, grabbing his crotch and wearing ‘Beast Mode’ gear. While these incidents appear to be personal matters, they still affect the people around Lynch, ala his teammates and coaches. Whenever Lynch is in the news, his peers are forced to answer questions about him and sometimes for him.

If Seattle were to part ways with Lynch, they would be left with Robert Turbin and Christine Michael in the backfield. Russell Wilson rushed for twice as many yards as both of them combined.

Seattle could sign someone in free agency or even draft a running back, but to expect similar production as you would get from Lynch is unrealistic.

After going to back-to-back Super Bowls, you’d think Seattle is still in ‘win-now’ mode, but at the same time, you don’t want to over commit to a back that’s bound to decline soon.

It’ll be interesting to see how this situation plays out.