Marshawn Lynch once revealed how close he came to joining Tom Brady's Buccaneers
NFL legend Marshawn Lynch retired from the NFL in 2019 after playing two seasons for the Oakland Raiders. The "Beast Mode" RB was notoriously infamous for taking back his retirement calls. He first announced his retirement in 2015 after an injury-plagued year. His next announcement came in 2017 before he joined the Raiders in 2017. But at one moment, Lynch was on the verge of making another comeback, courtesy of Tom Brady.
During an interview with Conan O’Brien in 2020, Lynch revealed that a team approached him for postseason games. Later, during another interview with ESPN’s Sports Nation in April 2021, he revealed that it was none other than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Lynch was referring to an offer made by the Buccs QB, Tom Brady, who was looking for an RB to help inch closer toward yet another Super Bowl.
“I was specifically speaking to Tom Brady and the Bucs," Lynch said via CBSSports.com. "That's who I was talking to.”
It is not clear as to who made the first move, but Brady was desperate to win another Super Bowl after leaving the New England Patriots. Hence, it is likely that he may have made the first move since the Buccs were reeling at a 7-5 season record after losing their Week 12 game to the Kansas City Chiefs on Nov 30.
Marshawn Lynch had a specific condition to come out of retirement
When Lynch spoke with Conan O'Brien in December 2020, he hinted at a return call for a postseason, but only if a certain condition applied.
“If the situation is right, then I mean, it could happen," Lynch said. "I've been asked the question by a couple of teams here recently. Like, 'Are you ready?' I'm ready if you all are Super Bowl ready. That's what it would take me to come out, to come and play again. It would have to be a guaranteed Super Bowl game for me."
In the end, Lynch didn’t join Tampa Bay, and Tom Brady still won another Super Bowl by winning their remaining eight games on the trot. Ironically, it could have been a fairy tale ending for Lynch, who always regretted losing the Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks against Tom Brady’s Patriots in 2015 after reaching a yard away from the endzone.