Sports

UPDATE: Marshawn Lynch announces retirement on Twitter

Roger SteinmanDallas Cowboys free safety Byron Jones defends against a run by Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (24) during an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Roger Steinman)

UPDATE: During the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, Marshawn Lynch tweeted a photo of green cleats hanging with a peace sign. That came after reports that he told people close to him he was retiring.

"Salute to my guy @MoneyLynch," Richard Sherman tweeted minutes later. "It was an honor sharing the field with you."

At 9:47 p.m., team owner Paul Allen tweeted confirmation of Lynch's retirement.

"Thank you @MoneyLynch for a great career as a Seahawk," he wrote. "So many memorable runs and quakes!"

ORIGINAL STORY: The biggest question for the Seahawks heading into the offseason is essentially the same as the biggest question during the season: Is Marshawn Lynch coming back or not?

Seahawks general manager John Schneider shed a little light on Beast Mode's uncertain future while on 710 ESPN Seattle's "Brock and Salk" Friday morning.

"I'm under the impression that's he's leaning towards retirement," Schneider said.

Follow this link for additional stories from Brock and Salk.

This wouldn't be the first time Lynch, 29, has considered retirement – in fact this marks the third straight offseason that Lynch has reportedly considered hanging up his cleats for good.

Though Schneider is under the impression retirement is a good possibility for Lynch, he didn't pretend to have a better grip than anybody else on what the running back's next move will be.

"I would have no idea," he said. "I just know that we're going to treat him with as much respect as we possibly can here and give him a little leeway to kind of find his way in terms of what he wants to do."

Lynch, a nine-year NFL veteran and five-time Pro Bowler, is under contract with Seattle through 2017.