With Marshawn Lynch's retirement official, is he a Hall of Famer?

Because Marshawn Lynch can be an unpredictable guy at times, the fact that he hadn't filed retirement papers this offseason and the Seattle Seahawks never put him on the reserve/retired list seemed to leave the door open just a little bit for a comeback.

Not so much anymore. On Thursday the Seahawks placed Lynch on the reserve/retired list, for all realistic purposes putting an official end to a fantastic career.

But was it a Hall of Fame career?

Because the Pro Football Hall of Fame puts a maximum number on each class and there are so many great players who will be eligible by the time Lynch can be considered, it will be tough. Lynch also has very good but not undeniable career numbers. His 9,112 career rushing yards places him 36th all time, between Ahman Green and Terry Allen on the all-time list.

However, Lynch's argument for the Hall of Fame is pretty strong, as any Seattle fan will gladly tell you.

While the Seahawks have had some big stars during this impressive recent run, Lynch probably is the biggest. He epitomized Seattle's rise to Super Bowl champion with his tough running style and big plays. Between 2011, his first full Seahawks season, and 2014 he had at least 1,200 rushing yards each season and averaged 12 touchdowns. In 2012, 2013 and 2014 Lynch had 774 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in eight playoff games. That's remarkable. That also includes a Super Bowl championship (and many will say it should have been two Super Bowl championships had the Seahawks just given him the ball on the 1-yard line against the New England Patriots, but that's a different story).

The Seahawks included this 2012 quote from coach Pete Carroll in its release that made Lynch's retirement official: "I don't know if anything is more symbolic than what we've done with Marshawn and him playing the way he's played and him being the guy he is. I think he really is the key element to putting this thing together from the attitude perspective at least."

 

The best Hall of Fame argument for Lynch might be the comparison to Earl Campbell, who is in the Hall:

 

Campbell: Eight seasons, 115 games, 2,187 rushing attempts, 9,407 yards, 74 TDs.
Lynch: Nine seasons, 127 games, 2,144 attempts, 9,112 yards, 74 TDs.

 

Also, Lynch had more than three times as many receiving yards (1,979 yards for Lynch, 806 for Campbell) and 9 receiving touchdowns to Campbell's zero. The numbers (and running styles) are remarkably similar, and Lynch has a Super Bowl ring. That's not entirely fair to Campbell, because football is a team sport, but it doesn't hurt Lynch's case. And good luck finding anyone who doesn't think Campbell should be in the Hall of Fame. So maybe Lynch should be too.

Even if Lynch doesn't get enshrined in Canton, he'll be one of the biggest figures in Seahawks history. It's sacrilegious to some to consider, but you can make a lucid argument that he the most important player in Seahawks history, even surpassing Steve Largent. That Super Bowl championship is a big plus in Lynch's favor when it comes to that. When we look back on this incredible Seahawks run, the first player we should remember is Lynch. He was the foundation.

No matter whether Lynch ends up in Canton or not, it was a unique, entertaining and fantastic career. Happy retirement, Beast Mode.