Marshawn Lynch to receive roster bonus further ensuring he is in Raiders 2018 plans

There has been plenty of evidence to suggest Marshawn Lynch is in the Raiders 2018 plans. If there were ever a plan to get rid of him, it would have to happen before tomorrow, before he is to receive his 2018 roster bonus. That’s a roster bonus he will be receiving, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

It was almost comical how many people jumped to the conclusion that Lynch’s status was in doubt when the Raiders recently signed free agent running back Doug Martin.

Signing a back who has averaged 2.9 yards per carry the past two seasons to a 1-year deal was never going to matter in terms of Lynch, which Mike Silver quickly reported after the Martin news came down.

Gruden had some complimentary words for Marshawn at this year’s scouting combine, adding a bit of an open door to doubters by saying “we’ll see what happens.”

“Looking at the film in a game that I broadcasted on Christmas night, there’s no question he’s still a beast,” Gruden said of Marshawn at the scouting combine. “He’s hard to bring down. One of the reasons I’m excited to be with the Raiders is to join forces with Lynch. But, we’ll see what happens. Obviously, we have to take a look at the entire roster, but I’m counting on him. I’m counting on him being a big part of our football team.”

Marshawn signed a 2-year deal prior to last season after the team traded a 5th round pick to Seattle to acquire him. He averaged 4.3 yards per carry for the Raiders last season, including 4.63 yards per carry over the final 8 games to finish with 891 yards and 7 touchdowns. He added 20 catches for 151 yards for over 1000 yards from scrimmage (1042).