Revisiting the Seahawks-Bills Trade for Marshawn Lynch

In terms of blockbuster trades, the NFL trade deadline doesn't always live up to its billing. More often than not, those bombshell deals transpire during the offseason.

However, the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks turned that narrative on its head with a head-spinning deal at the 2010 deadline when the former said farewell to stud running back Marshawn Lynch, who eclipsed 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons. He was even named to the Pro Bowl in 2008, his second year as a pro.

Bills-Seahawks Marshawn Lynch Trade Details

• Bills Received: a fourth-round pick in 2011 and a conditional fifth-round selection in 2012
• Seahawks Received: running back Marshawn Lynch

There is A LOT to unpack here. For starters, you really couldn't fault the Bills for unloading their former No. 12 overall pick. In the summer of 2008, Lynch admitted to striking a pedestrian with his car and fleeing the scene. Less than a year later, he was dealt a misdemeanor gun charge that led to a suspension.

Buffalo wasn't left without help at RB, either. The tandem of Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller performed admirably in Lynch's wake. Jackson registered 2,923 yards on the ground in a three-year stretch (2009-2011) and Spiller rushed for over 1,200 yards in 2012.

As for for the picks the Bills received, they turned into linebacker Tank Carder and offensive lineman Chris Hairston. Neither player established themselves as a regular starter in the NFL. Carder played five seasons (78 games) and logged just two starts, while Hairston 31 of a career 74 games across six seasons.

The Seahawks, meanwhile, caught some flak for trading for an RB as polarizing as Lynch. What Seattle didn't know at the time was that it acquired a future cult hero. Beast Mode rushed for more than 1,000 yards in four straight seasons and was a pivotal component to the team's Super Bowl win over the Denver Broncos in 2014.

Had Pete Caroll handed Lynch the ball at the one-yard line against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX in 2015, the bruising RB would have contributed to two world championships in Seattle.

On top of it all, Lynch delivered perhaps the greatest run in NFL history versus the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card Round of the 2010 Playoffs. In all, he rushed 6,381 yards and for 58 touchdowns in seven seasons with the Seahawks.

Who Won the Bills-Seahawks Marshawn Lynch Trade?

The Bills might have thought they were unloading a troublemaker in Lynch, but he turned out to be a superstar with Seattle. More importantly, he helped the Seahawks win a Super Bowl, their first in franchise history. Buffalo, on the other hand, didn't make the postseason again until 2017.

Seattle won this trade, no questions asked.