
It had to end like this, a wordless good bye from one of the most eccentric players to dawn a Seahawks uniform. A good bye and deuces without a word. Who does that you ask. Well Marshawn Lynch does. The iconic Seahawks running back tweeted a photo of cleats dangling over a wire and a “peace out” emoji during the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl Sunday night.
In that social media moment, it was easy to guess that after nine seasons in the National Football League Marshawn Lynch had called it a day. Seahawks owner Paul Allen, several teammates from the past and present, as well as foes he has faced over the years thanked Beast Mode for the memories.
While 24 maybe gone, he will not be forgotten anytime soon in these parts. Lynch rushed for 9,112 yards and 74 touchdowns in a career that earned him five Pro Bowl selections and one All-Pro selection. His 59 total TDs (51 rushing, eight receiving) are the most in the NFL since 2011.
Lynch finishes his Seahawks career as the fourth leading rusher with 6, 347yards, second in rushing touchdowns with 57 (trailing the 100 by Shaun Alexander) third in total touchdowns with 65 (behind the 112 by Alexander and 101 by Steve Largent) The Seahawks were so grateful they honored Lynch with a Beast Mode video on the teams website.
While the numbers can speak to his greatness, Lynch will long remembered for his Beast Quake runs. His improbable 67-yard playoff clinching run against New Orleans in 2011 brought Century Link Field to such a loud roar Northwest Seismic Network monitoring stations detected tremors near the stadium. The run was aptly named Beast Quake run.
Beast Quake 2 was a 79-yard touchdown run agains Arizona in 2014 that sparked a late season rally that helped the Seahawks return to the Super Bowl for a second consecutive year. Along with his punishing hits of tacklers, Lynch was a skittles loving man of very few words. His “I-m-just- about-that-action-boss” interview has become NFL folklore and his Beast Mode brand is legendary in the northwest. No wonder when it was time to literary hang up the boots, Lynch did it his way.