Lynch Adds Fuel to ‘Conspiracy Theory’ Fire

There are always plenty of conspiracy theorists in NFL circles — especially when the Patriots are involved — and they were out in full throat after Seattle made the controversial (i.e. moronic) decision to throw the ball on second-and-goal from the 1-yard line in the final minute of Super Bowl XLIX. Their theory is that Seahawks coach Pete Carroll purposely prevented Marshawn Lynch from scoring the game-winning touchdown, instead trying to make media darling Russell Wilson the game’s MVP.

Carroll had several alleged motivations for doing this. For one, he could have looked into his crystal ball and seen Wilson will get a massive contract extension this offseason, while Lynch is no lock to even return to the team. Secondly, Carroll and Wilson are extremely close, while rumors persist he and Lynch were barely on speaking terms at the time of the Big Game.

Finally, whichever player was responsible for the game-winning touchdown would have likely been named Super Bowl MVP. Perhaps Carroll wanted to take that away from Lynch, who had spent the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl openly mocking and disrespecting the national media.

These theories seem farfetched, for sure, and most people dismiss them as such. That is until this week, when Lynch himself gave them credence in an interview with Turkey’s leading sports network, NTV Spor.

“When you look at me, and you let me run that ball in, I am the face of the nation. You know, MVP of the Super Bowl, that’s pretty much the face of the nation at that point of time,” Lynch said.

“I don’t know what went into that call. I mean, maybe it was a good thing that I didn’t get the ball. I mean, you know, it cost us the Super Bowl. I mean, I have full … I have full confidence in my teammates to execute that plan because we’ve done it so many more times. But would I love to had the ball in? Yes, I would have.”

Lynch’s future in Seattle remains up in the air. He is due to make $7 million in the final season of his contract, a number the Seahawks are willing to increase if he signs a multi-year extension. He has also flirted with the idea of retirement, although that may be nothing more than a negotiating ploy.

Reports are the Seahawks are willing to pay Lynch between $11-12 million per season. That is a substantial figure, especially given the general devaluation of the running back position, but Lynch’s price tag would be even higher if he was the reigning Super Bowl MVP for the two-time defending champion Seahawks.

Long live the conspiracy.

Former San Diego GM Retires

A.J. Smith, the former Chargers general manager who spent the last two seasons as a Redskins executive, announced his retirement in an email to U-T San Diego.

“We have experienced incredible highs and lows in our 38-year ride,” he wrote. “At the age of 66, it’s time for me to enjoy my family and friends more than ever before. I will now get going on my long-awaited bucket list.”

Smith’s time in San Diego began with a bang. He constructed a team that won five division titles in the six-year stretch between 2004 and 2009. He drafted several players who are still a part of San Diego’s core to this day, including Philip Rivers, Eric Weddle and Corey Liuget. His other notable draftees include Shawne Merriman, Antonio Cromartie, Marcus McNeill and Nick Hardwick.

Unfortunately for Smith, his success resulted in a baffling amount of arrogance, which led to his undoing. He fired head coach Marty Schottenheimer after a 14-2 season and replaced him with the uninspiring Norv Turner. He also allowed several marquee players to leave as free agents without getting anything in return, including Drew Brees, Vincent Jackson and Darren Sproles.

Smith also lost his touch in the draft and free agency. His list of draft busts includes Buster Davis (first round, 2007), Larry English (first round, 2009), Jonas Mouton (second round, 2011) and Brandon Taylor (third round, 2012). His touch in free agency went equally wayward, with his final two big-money additions — Jared Gaither and Robert Meachem — proving to be the worst signings of his tenure.

Despite the disappointing finish to his career, Smith deserves credit for building a consistent winner. The Chargers averaged 9.8 wins per season during his decade at the helm, making him the winningest general manager in franchise history.

The Redskins opted not to renew his contract last week, prompting his decision to walk away from the game.

Jackson to Stay with Bucs on Same Deal

While Smith is moving on, one of his best-ever draft picks — Vincent Jackson — is staying put. Jackson, who Smith selected from Northern Colorado in the second round back in 2005 — will return for a fourth season in Tampa Bay. There had been speculation that Jackson, 32, would have to restructure his contract to avoid being released. He has a base salary of $9.78 million and a cap hit of $12.2 million in 2015, both amongst the highest figures for receivers.

Jackson has topped the 1,000-yard barrier in each of his three seasons with the Buccaneers, an impressive feat given the team’s struggles at the quarterback position. And although he had just 1,002 yards in 2014 — his lowest figure in a full season since 2007 — he made several big catches, including scoring the game-winning touchdown in a road upset of the Steelers.

Earlier this month at the NFL Combine, Buccaneers GM Jason Licht made it clear Jackson would “absolutely” return, adding: “We really like Vincent Jackson.”

Licht is widely expected to select a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick, with Florida State’s Jameis Winston holding the early edge over Marcus Mariota. If it is indeed Winston under center for the Buccaneers in 2015, he would be fortunate to work with an elite pair of receivers like Jackson and Mike Evans.

Want to talk more about these and other headlines? Join Michael Lombardo for his weekly NFL Chat on Friday at 2pm EST. But you don’t have to wait until then … you can ask your question now!