Shortly after Seahawks general manager John Schneider said in a pair of radio interviews Friday that Marshawn Lynch is leaning toward retirement came reports that the running back could be asked to return $5 million in bonus money if he does indeed decide to walk away.
The key word there, however, is “could.’’
Most NFL contracts include bonuses, and teams typically have the right to ask for some of it back if the player decides not to fulfill the contract unless language is specifically added preventing them from doing so.
It’s something that former sports agent Joel Corry, who now writes about salary cap issues for CBSSports.