Marshawn Lynch spent most of his NFL career ducking questions and avoiding microphones. Now he’s building a media career that operates entirely on his own terms, without ever committing to the traditional retired-player path of landing behind a studio desk.
Lynch made his position clear when asked about the possibility of working on NFL studio shows. He’s not interested in trading his current freedom for the constraints that come with regular television commitments.
“I’m good where I’m at,” Lynch 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 allowed Lynch to carve out one of the more unusual media careers in recent memory.
He’s working NFL sidelines as a credentialed photographer. He’s called Slamball playoff games on ESPN. When College GameDay visited Cal, Lynch put Kirk Herbstreit in a headlock because Herbstreit was the lone analyst picking Stanford over Virginia Tech.
Amazon figured out how to harness Lynch’s unpredictability without trying to contain it. The network created “‘N Yo’ City” segments for Thursday Night Football that let Lynch explore whatever city is hosting each game. He plays football with kids in Chicago one week, feeds alligators in New Orleans the next. The segments run three to four minutes, giving Lynch enough time to be himself before disappearing until the next assignment.
Lynch has also launched two podcasts that reflect his eclectic interests. Politickin pairs him with California Governor Gavin Newsom, while Da Get Got Pod reunites him with former teammate Mike Robinson. He’s producing a Seahawks documentary, appeared in “80 for Brady,” and somehow ended up with a role on “Euphoria.”
The approach works because it acknowledges what Lynch brings to media while avoiding the pitfalls that would neutralize his appeal.
Most retired players follow a predictable trajectory from the field to coaching to eventual media roles that demand consistency and availability. Lynch built something else entirely, maintaining the same selective approach to media obligations that defined his playing career. He can work on projects that interest him, collaborate with people he chooses, and walk away when the assignment ends.
The studios will always be there if Lynch changes his mind. But he’s already found something better, which is a media presence that doesn’t require him to become someone else to fit someone else’s format. Lynch figured out how to stay in the game without actually being in the game, exactly like he said.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.