Pete Carroll Claims He Wants Marshawn Lynch Back In Seattle

Pete Carroll insists he wants star running back Marshawn Lynch in a Seattle Seahawks uniform “as long as he can play.”

Rumors have consistently circulated this season that the volatile star was on the outs in Seattle and the team was ready to move on without him after this year. Carroll, whom Lynch has openly butted heads with,  insists not so fast.

“If you guys ever would have asked — which you didn’t — I would have told you,” Carroll told ESPN. “There’s never been any hesitation and there’s never been another thought about that. That came totally from somewhere else. He’s under contract next year, and we’ll be thrilled to have him playing for us. We’ll do everything we can to get that done.”

Now in the third-year of a four-year $31 million deal, Lynch held out of training camp this season seeking more up-front money. In all, he missed eight days of camp, but  his 2014 salary was ultimately upped to $6.5 million.

Even if Lynch does return to the Seahawks beyond this season, Carroll now seems ready to admit he realizes the two will probably never be the best of pals.

“Whenever I need to,” he said when asked how often he actually speaks with star rusher. “Look, what do you want me to say? Are you asking me about my personal relationship with my players now? We’re doing great. Everything is going great. He’s doing great. He works his tail off. Since the day he got back here, he looked terrific.”

The 28-year-old Lynch has 813 yards rushing this season, including 264 in the past two games. His best season came with the Seahawks in 2012, when he rushed for 1,590 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Lynch was fined $100,000 by the league earlier this week for failing to talk to the media after being warned about it numerous times, commencing last season.

[Photo Credit: Bernzilla]