Marshawn Lynch spent most of his NFL career stiff-arming microphones. Now he's leaning into them — but only when he feels like it.
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The former Seahawks star has built one of the most unconventional media careers in sports, and he's doing it without ever signing up for the traditional post-retirement grind of sitting behind a studio desk, as written by The Escapist.
Asked recently about joining an NFL studio show, Lynch didn't hesitate.
"I'm good where I'm at," he said. "I like what I got going on. I have the freedom to move around the way that I like to. It just helps me staying in the game without actually having to be in the game."
That freedom has led Lynch down a wild path. He's worked NFL sidelines as a credentialed photographer. He's called Slamball playoff games on ESPN. He put Kirk Herbstreit in a headlock on College GameDay because Herbstreit picked Stanford over Virginia Tech.
Amazon tapped into his unpredictability with its "'N Yo' City" segments on Thursday Night Football, where one week he's playing football with kids in Chicago, the next he's feeding alligators in New Orleans.
Lynch has also dropped two podcasts — one with California Governor Gavin Newsom (Politickin'), another with ex-teammate Mike Robinson (Da Get Got Pod). He's producing a Seahawks documentary, popped up in 80 for Brady, and somehow even landed a role on Euphoria.
Most players follow the field-to-studio pipeline. Lynch skipped the script. He's built a media presence that lets him stay himself, and stay in the game, without ever being tied down.
Apparently, he intends to keep it that way.
