Marshawn Lynch

Early life and education

Lynch grew up in Oakland, California, with three older siblings. He was raised by his mother, Delisa, who once held a 200-meter track record at Oakland Technical High School. Lynch started playing youth football in Oakland at a young age.

Lynch attended and graduated from the same high school as his mother, Oakland Technical High School, from 2000 to 2004.

At Oakland Tech, Lynch was a four-sport star for the Bulldogs football, basketball, track, and wrestling teams. In his 2003 season, Lynch amassed 1,722 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns in only eight regular-season games and an additional 375 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in two postseason games. He was voted a PrepStar and SuperPrep All-American and was also voted the San Francisco East Bay Player of the Year. In basketball, he played on the Oakland Tech's team alongside future Cal star Leon Powe. Lynch helped lead his team to the state semi-finals. As an athlete in the Bay Area, Lynch befriended and often played against film director and writer Ryan Coogler; who also grew up in the same part of Oakland as Lynch.

In addition to football, Lynch excelled in track and field, where he competed mainly as a sprinter, but also in jumping events. He recorded a personal-best time of 10.94 seconds in the 100-meter dash as a senior, while also posting top-leaps of 1.94 meters (6 ft, 4 in) in the high jump and 6.38 meters (20 ft, 10 in) in the long jump.

Lynch was a versatile athlete on the football field. He played defensive back, quarterback, wide receiver, and linebacker in high school. Rivals.com recruiting network had him ranked #2 in the nation at running back behind Adrian Peterson.

He attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he majored in social welfare and played for the Golden Bears football team from 2004 to 2006.

In 2020, he received an honorary degree from Princeton University after he was invited to be the Class of 2020 speaker.

College career

2004 season

As a true freshman in 2004 at University of California Berkeley, Lynch was the primary backup to senior J. J. Arrington. In his collegiate debut against Air Force in the regular-season opener, he had seven carries for 92 yards and a touchdown in the 56–14 victory. On November 13, in the 42–12 victory over Washington, he had nine carries for 121 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to go along with a 29-yard touchdown reception. One week later, against Stanford, Lynch had 122 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. In addition, he threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Burl Toler in the 41–6 victory. Overall, Lynch carried the ball 71 times for 628 yards with eight rushing touchdowns and 147 yards on 19 receptions and two receiving touchdowns in his freshman season.

2005 season

In 2005, Arrington had graduated and Lynch became the starting running back. Lynch wore jersey No. 24 his freshman year but switched to No. 10, his high school number. This switch placed him in sequence with his cousins Virdell Larkins, who wore No. 9, and Robert Jordan, who wore No. 11. Lynch and his cousins were teammates at Cal. Lynch started off the season strong with 24 carries for 147 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 41–3 victory over Sacramento State. Almost a month later, on October 1, he had 107 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in a 28–0 victory over Arizona. The next week, he had 135 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 47–40 loss to UCLA. On October 22, against Washington State, he had 160 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 42–38 loss. In the next game, a 27–20 loss to Oregon, he had 189 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. In the regular-season finale against the Stanford Cardinal, he had 123 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 27–3 victory. In the 2005 Las Vegas Bowl, Lynch ran for 194 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries and was named MVP against BYU. Even though he missed two games due to a hand and finger injury, he still amassed 1,246 rushing yards with 10 rushing touchdowns on 196 carries and 125 receiving yards on 15 receptions. He finished fifth in the Pac-10 in rushing yards and sixth in rushing touchdowns.

2006 season

In the 2006 preseason, Lynch earned a spot on the watchlist for the Maxwell Award, was named 8th best player in the nation by Sports Illustrated, and earned several preseason All-American accolades. In the spring, he joined the Cal Track & Field team, and he competed in the 60-meter dash, recording a personal-best time of 6.98 seconds at the 2006 MPSF Championships.

On July 22, 2006, the Cal football program officially launched the campaign for Lynch to win the 2006 Heisman Trophy with the opening of the website Marshawn10.com, featuring Lynch's highlights from 2004 to 2006.

In the second game of the season, against Minnesota, Lynch had 139 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 42–17 victory. In the next game against Portland State, he finished with 112 rushing yards and a touchdown in the 42–16 victory. In the following game against Arizona State, he had 17 carries for 124 yards in the 49–21 victory. In the next game, against Oregon State, he posted his fourth consecutive 100-yard game with 106 yards and a touchdown in the 41–13 victory. After a 50-yard performance in the 45–24 victory over the Oregon Ducks, he had 152 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the 21–3 victory over Washington State. In the next game against Washington, he had another stellar game with 150 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning overtime touchdown, in the 31–24 victory. He later called the run his favorite career highlight, after which Lynch spontaneously drove around the football field in an injury cart, pretending to ghost ride. Lynch was named to the 2006 All-Pac-10 team First-team for his performance in the 2006 season. Lynch was also named the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year in 2006 and an AFCA (Coaches') All-America in 2006.

In his final game for Cal, Lynch ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns in the 45–10 victory over Texas A&M in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl on December 28, 2006. He shared the Co-Offensive Player of the Game award with teammate, quarterback Nate Longshore. He finished his final season with Golden Bears with a Pac-10 leading 1,356 rushing yards, 11 rushing touchdowns, 34 receptions, 328 receiving yards, and four receiving touchdowns.

Lynch holds the Cal school record for most 100-yard rushing games with 17.

On January 2, 2007, Lynch announced he would forgo his senior season and enter the 2007 NFL draft.

Professional career

Buffalo Bills

On April 28, 2007, Lynch was selected by the Buffalo Bills with the 12th overall pick in the first round of the NFL draft, the second running back taken. He agreed with the Bills to a six-year, $18.935 million contract. The deal included a $3 million signing bonus and contained $10.285 million in total guarantees.

Lynch entered the NFL as the starter at running back for the Bills. In his first career regular-season game on September 9, he gained 90 yards on 19 carries and scored his first touchdown in a 14–15 loss to the Denver Broncos. His breakout game came on November 4 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Lynch's success on the ground was instrumental in keeping the touted Cincinnati offense on the sidelines, as he rushed 29 times for 153 yards, including a 56-yard touchdown run. Lynch also completed a touchdown pass to tight end Robert Royal, the first touchdown pass completed by a Bills non-quarterback since running back Joe Cribbs in 1981.

Lynch injured his ankle the following week against the Miami Dolphins and missed the next three games. He returned to play on December 9 for the Bills' second game against the Miami Dolphins that season, rushing for 107 yards and fumbling for the first time in his NFL career. The game marked the first time the Bills' offense produced two 100-yard rushers since 1996, as Fred Jackson also rushed for 115 yards. Lynch went over the 1,000-yard rushing mark on December 23 against the New York Giants, scoring a touchdown in the 21–38 loss, which resulted in the Giants clinching a playoff berth. This made Lynch the fourth Bills rookie to break the 1,000-yard mark, and the first since Greg Bell in 1984. He closed out the regular season with 105 rushing yards and 22 receiving yards against the Philadelphia Eagles. He finished a successful rookie season with 1,115 total rushing yards and seven touchdowns. He was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team for the 2007 season.

Lynch was expected to be more involved in Buffalo's passing game in 2008, his second season as a professional. The Bills' new offensive coordinator Turk Schonert had stated a number of times that he anticipated Lynch "being in on third down a lot more" this season, citing Lynch's inexperience as a reason he was not very involved in the 2007 season.

Lynch started the 2008 season with four rushing touchdowns in his first three games against the Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Oakland Raiders. He was held to a season low of 16 yards rushing in a Week 9 matchup against the New York Jets on November 2. He did not break 100 yards rushing in a game until November 17 on a Monday Night Football matchup against the Cleveland Browns, when he rushed for 119. The game also marked his first receiving touchdown. Two weeks later on November 30, Lynch posted a season-high 134 rushing yards against the San Francisco 49ers. Lynch went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season on December 14 in a rematch against the Jets when he rushed for 127 yards. He was able to stay healthy until injuring his shoulder in the second half of a Bills victory on December 21 against the Denver Broncos, during which he rushed for his eighth touchdown of the season. The injury kept him out of the Bills' season finale against the New England Patriots. Lynch finished the 2008 season with 1,036 yards rushing and eight rushing touchdowns. He posted 300 receiving yards on 47 receptions, including a receiving touchdown, compared to 184 yards on 18 receptions for the 2007 season. Lynch was selected to his first Pro Bowl, replacing injured Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson. This made him the first Bills running back to head to the Pro Bowl since Travis Henry in 2002. Lynch was initially the first alternate.

Seattle Seahawks (first stint)

Lynch then reunited with former Cal roommate and fellow running back Justin Forsett, a seventh-round draft pick of the Seahawks in 2008. Lynch scored his first touchdown of the season with the Seahawks on October 17 on a 1-yard run against the Chicago Bears. On December 5, he scored three touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers. Lynch had 202 carries for 737 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns during the 2010 season.

In his first career playoff game, against the New Orleans Saints on January 8, 2011, Lynch had a 67-yard touchdown run in which he broke nine tackles and with one arm threw Saints cornerback Tracy Porter to the ground. This run has become known locally in Seattle as the "Beast Quake". The play gets its name from Marshawn Lynch's nickname, "Beast Mode", and the fact that, during and after the play, movement from fans jumping in celebration was so intense that it registered on a seismograph 100 yards from the stadium. In the Divisional Round against the Chicago Bears, he was limited to four carries for two yards in the 35–24 loss.

Lynch started 15 games in 2011, missing only one regular-season game, on November 23 due to back problems. Lynch rushed for 1,204 yards and 12 touchdowns, both career bests and posting his first 1,000-yard season since 2008. On December 1, against the Philadelphia Eagles, he was observed receiving Skittles from a trainer to celebrate his touchdown. Fans later threw Skittles onto the field after Lynch scored.

On November 6, against the Dallas Cowboys, Lynch had 135 rushing yards and a touchdown. On December 1, he had his best rushing game of the season with 148 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns against the Philadelphia Eagles. On December 18, he set the franchise record for consecutive games with a touchdown by scoring in his tenth straight game. The previous record of nine was set by Shaun Alexander in 2005. Lynch would reach 11 consecutive games scoring a touchdown before the streak ended against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 17. Lynch led the NFL in rushing yards over the final nine weeks of the season. On January 24, 2012, Lynch was added to the NFC Pro Bowl roster to replace San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore. He was ranked 94th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2012.

On March 4, 2012, Lynch signed a four-year, $31 million contract with the Seahawks.

Initial retirement

On February 7, 2016, the day of Super Bowl 50, Lynch announced his retirement via Twitter by posting a picture of his football cleats hanging from a telephone wire. He subsequently became a mentor to the current college football players at Cal.

After his retirement, rumors circulated about Lynch returning to the NFL. In early April 2017, after sitting out the 2016 season, it was reported Lynch had agreed to terms with his hometown Oakland Raiders and that the Seahawks, who retained his rights even after retirement, would trade him. Lynch said he was inspired to come out of retirement by the team's impending move to Las Vegas saying that he wanted children currently growing up in Oakland to be able to see a home-grown football star play for the Raiders before the team is gone.

Oakland Raiders

On April 26, 2017, Lynch officially passed his physical and was traded to the Oakland Raiders along with Seattle's sixth-round draft pick for Oakland's fifth-round selection in the 2018 NFL draft. Lynch signed a two-year, $9 million contract with a maximum of $16.5 million; it had a $2 million bonus for 1,000 rushing yards for the season.

In the Raiders' regular-season opener on the road against the Tennessee Titans, Lynch finished with 18 carries for 76 rushing yards along with one reception for 16 yards in a 26–16 win. On September 14, Lynch was fined $12,000 for doing an obscene gesture. In Week 2 against the New York Jets, he had his first touchdown as a Raider, which was a two-yard rush in the second quarter, in the 45–20 victory. During Thursday Night Football against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week Seven, Lynch was ejected for running onto the field and shoving an official following a hit by Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters on Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. The next day, the NFL suspended Lynch for one game. Lynch attempted to appeal, but the suspension was upheld. During Sunday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15, Lynch confronted officials about Derek Carr not scoring while a fumble and touchback occurred; on December 21, Lynch was fined $24,309.

During the regular-season finale, in a loss against the Los Angeles Chargers, Lynch became the 31st player in NFL history to rush for over 10,000 rushing yards. Overall, in the 2017 season, he finished with 207 carries for 891 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns to go along with 20 receptions for 151 receiving yards.

Lynch returned to the Raiders' backfield for the 2018 season opener under new head coach Jon Gruden. He recorded a rushing touchdown in the first three games of the season against the Los Angeles Rams, Denver Broncos, and Miami Dolphins, all losses for the Raiders. In Week 4, he recorded 20 carries for 130 rushing yards in the 45–42 overtime victory over the Cleveland Browns. On October 22, Lynch was placed on injured reserve with a groin injury. Overall, he finished the 2018 season with 90 carries for 376 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in six games. After the 2018 season, Lynch's plans were to not play football again and retire.

Seattle Seahawks (second stint)

Lynch returned to the NFL during the final week of the 2019 regular season, signing with the Seahawks alongside former teammate Robert Turbin on December 23, 2019, after Seattle lost three running backs to injury. Lynch made his return to the Seahawks in Week 17 against the San Francisco 49ers on NBC Sunday Night Football. During the game, Lynch rushed 12 times for 34 yards and a touchdown in the 26–21 loss. After his touchdown, fans threw Skittles onto the field. During the Seahawks' 17–9 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, Lynch broke a tackle to score a five-yard, first half touchdown. In the Divisional Round against the Green Bay Packers, Lynch rushed 12 times for 26 yards and two touchdowns during the 28–23 loss.

With his three additional playoff touchdowns in the 2019–20 NFL playoffs, Lynch moved into fourth place on the all-time postseason rushing touchdowns list. He is tied with Terrell Davis and John Riggins with 12.

During a postgame interview on January 12, 2020, Lynch was asked if he'll return for the Seahawks in the 2020 NFL season. "I mean, shoot," he responded, "We'll see what's happening." In media ahead of the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll was also asked about Lynch returning and said "We'll see. You never know." Lynch was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-2010s Team.

In a December 2020 interview with Conan O'Brien, Lynch said that teams had expressed interest in signing him and that he was willing to sign with a team that is a Super Bowl contender.

Career statistics

Career highlights

Awards and honors

NFL

Super Bowl champion (XLVIII)

First-team All-Pro (2012)

Second-team All-Pro (2014)

5× Pro Bowl (2008, 2011–2014)

2× NFL rushing touchdowns leader (2013, 2014)

NFL 2010s All-Decade Team

Seattle Seahawks Top 50 players

PFWA All-Rookie Team (2007)

College

First-team All-American (2006)

Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year (2006)

First-team All-Pac-10 (2006)

Holiday Bowl Co-Offensive MVP (2006)

Las Vegas Bowl MVP (2005)

Seahawks franchise records

Most rushing attempts (playoff career): 211

Most rushing attempts (playoff season): 65 (2013)

Most rushing yards (playoff career): 970

Most rushing yards (playoff season): 318 (2014)

Most rushing yards per attempt (minimum ten carries) (playoff game): 6.89 (January 8, 2011, against the New Orleans Saints)

Most rushing touchdowns (game): 4 (November 9, 2014, against the New York Giants; tied with Curt Warner and Shaun Alexander – 3×)

Most rushing touchdowns (playoff career): 12

Most rushing touchdowns (playoff season): 4 (2013)

Most rushing yards per game (playoff season): 106 (2014)

Most total touchdowns (playoff career): 12

Most total touchdowns (playoff season): 4 (2013)

Most yards from scrimmage (playoff career): 1,122

Most yards from scrimmage (playoff season): 381 (2014)

Most yards from scrimmage (playoff game): 183 (January 18, 2015, against the Green Bay Packers)

Most all purpose yards (playoff career): 1,122

Most all purpose yards (playoff season): 381 (2014)

Filmography

Beast Mode

The nickname "Beast Mode" became a popular way to refer to Lynch and his style of play. While the term was in use since 1996 with the debut of the animated Transformers series Beast Wars, Lynch claims it developed as his nickname because one of his childhood coaches would refer to him as a beast. He also claimed on an episode of the Politickin' podcast that the nickname draws inspiration from a 2008 song of the same name by Boosie.

Lynch has since developed the nickname into his Beast Mode brand, which includes an apparel line, retail store, and at least one partnership with international brands. The first Beast Mode store opened in Oakland, California on February 7, 2016, during Super Bowl 50. On April 8, 2015, rapper Ludacris released the video for his single "Beast Mode," named after Lynch, who appears in the video. Ludacris mimics Lynch's interview at the Super Bowl media day by saying "I'm just here so I won't get fined" to reporters before Lynch comes in and adds "You know why we here". Lynch makes a cameo in the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops III. He also appeared in the fourth episode of the sixth season of Tanked where they created a special fish tank for "BeastMode" first aired June 19, 2015. He is featured in the game Predator: Hunting Grounds as the playable character "Dante 'Beast Mode' Jefferson".

Lynch was approached by former Pro BMX rider Todd Lyons, who noticed that Lynch rode his BMX products. Lyons, acting as the current brand manager for SE Bikes BMX company, partnered with Marshawn to create a Beast Mode Ripper: an adult-sized BMX bike with customized Beast Mode branding as a 2018 SE Bicycle.

On September 19, 2017, Lynch launched his own ad-supported Beast Mobile cellphone service that allows subscribers to pay their phone bill by engaging in ads and offers.

Indoor football teams

In November 2018, Lynch and Richard Sherman were announced as the first two team owners in a proposed Fan Controlled Football League, a concept based on Project Fanchise's use of a mobile app for fans to call plays for the team that they had initiated with the Salt Lake Screaming Eagles of the Indoor Football League (IFL) a year earlier. The league was delayed and eventually played its first game, rebranded as just Fan Controlled Football (FCF), in February 2021 with Lynch as one of three owners of a team called the Beasts. Lynch dressed for the game, but decided not to play.

In 2019, Lynch was also announced as co-owner of the Oakland Panthers of the Indoor Football League (IFL) alongside Roy Choi, who also owns the IFL's Cedar Rapids River Kings and San Diego Strike Force. Introduced to Choi by his brother Davonte Sapp-Lynch who plays in the IFL, Lynch saw the indoor football team as a way to keep professional football in Oakland after the departure of the Raiders for Las Vegas. Davonte Sapp-Lynch was one of the first players the Panthers signed. The Panthers were to start playing in the 2020 season, but it was cancelled after the opening week due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Panthers also went dormant for the 2021 season.

NFLPA brand chief ambassador

In October 2021, Lynch was named the first NFLPA brand chief ambassador.

Personal life

Lynch has several relatives who have also played professional football. His cousins are wide receiver Robert Jordan, who played alongside Lynch at Cal from 2004 to 2006, journeyman quarterback Josh Johnson, and quarterback JaMarcus Russell. Lynch's uncle, Lorenzo Lynch, had an eleven-year career in the NFL.

While in Buffalo, Lynch embraced the Buffalo community, in stark contrast to former Bills running back Willis McGahee, as noted in an interview with ESPN's Kenny Mayne. In the video interview, which has become an internet sensation, Lynch talks about his love of Applebee's and his teammates joke that he loves chain restaurants. Lynch is also known for his frequent community involvement. In 2013, he was featured in Red Bull's campaign "Athletes Give Back" when he put together a successful food drive for his hometown. During his first stint in Seattle, Lynch once gave his backpack to junior teammate Doug Baldwin after Baldwin had inquired where he got it from. When the Seahawks defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr.'s father died, Lynch was the only member of the organization who went to console him at the airport. In 2014, he found a lost wallet outside Seattle at a gas station; Lynch went to the address to return it.

Lynch frequently ate Skittles during games, a habit that started when he was in high school. After Lynch was shown eating the candy during a nationally televised game on December 5, 2011, Mars offered him a two-year supply of Skittles and a custom dispenser for his locker. On December 30, 2011, he was fined $10,000 for wearing cleats featuring a Skittles pattern. On January 28, 2014, an official deal with Skittles was announced. The agreement stated that in addition to personal compensation, $10,000 would be donated to his Fam 1st Foundation for each touchdown he scored in Super Bowl XLVIII.

Lynch also has an affinity for purchasing grills, saying he has been wearing the gold jewelry since his junior year in high school. After the 2011 season, Lynch purchased a customized Seahawks grill in time for the 2012 season.

Lynch is an entrepreneur in the cannabis industry, launching a line of cannabis products in 2021 under the brand name Dodi Blunts. The company distributes blunts to dispensaries throughout the Bay Area, with a portion of the proceeds going to Last Prisoner Project, a drug policy reform group. Lynch says he has been a long-time consumer of cannabis and that it helped him deal with pain during his football career.

Legal troubles

In June 2008, Lynch pled guilty to a hit-and-run charge and had his driver's license revoked. Lynch was driving his 2008 Porsche Cayenne at 3:30 a.m. through Buffalo's bar district when he struck a woman in the street and failed to stop. When questioned, Lynch stated, "I didn't know my car had hit anyone or anything."

The California Highway Patrol arrested Lynch for driving under the influence (DUI) on July 14, 2012, after he was observed driving erratically. He was reported to have registered a blood-alcohol level of 0.10 on a breathalyzer at the Alameda County Sheriff's Office North County Jail in Oakland. He was incarcerated hours before hosting a youth football camp. A motion to dismiss the case was denied in November 2013, but in December the trial date was pushed back until after the NFL season. Lynch's attorney, Ivan Golde, accused the police of bending the truth and changing stories to try to convict Lynch. The case was settled in February 2014 when Lynch pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving. Lynch received two years of probation and a $1,033 fine, and had to attend drivers' safety classes, but did not have his license suspended.

On August 9, 2022, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers arrested Lynch on suspicion of DUI near the Las Vegas Strip. The police report stated that Lynch was found asleep in a parked car that had noticeable damage. Lynch was charged with driving under the influence, as well as three other crimes. He posted bail of $3,381 and was released. Lynch's lawyers disputed the charges.

Press interviews

Lynch is known for being reluctant to talk to the media. He was fined $50,000 by the NFL for refusing to talk to the media throughout the 2013 NFL season, which inspired fans of the Seattle Seahawks to fundraise that amount. However, the fine was subsequently pulled back in an agreement that he would be fined another $50,000 if he broke the same rule, after which he donated the money raised by Seahawks fans to pay his fine to charity. Lynch was fined $100,000 on November 19, 2014, for once again refusing to speak to the media. A few days later, after the Seahawks' win over Arizona, he answered nearly every question from reporters with "Yeah". On December 21, 2014, after the second Seahawks–Cardinals game, he answered nearly every question from reporters with some version of "Thanks for asking" or "I appreciate you asking." The only people to get an "extended interview" were Deion Sanders, former teammate turned analyst Michael Robinson, and Michael Silver, in which they discovered his reluctance came from his upbringing and the fact that he felt that he was "forced to do something". On January 27, 2015, during Super Bowl Media Day in Glendale, Arizona, Lynch continued the trend of declining to give detailed media interviews by showing up for five minutes, and answering every question with some variation of "I'm just here so I won't get fined," and the following day "You know why I'm here."

In popular culture

Four days before Super Bowl XLIX, Lynch appeared in a guest segment on Conan, playing a head-to-head game of the then-unreleased Mortal Kombat X against prospective Super Bowl opponent tight end Rob Gronkowski. Contrary to his media appearances earlier that week, Lynch appeared upbeat and loquacious, discussing his fondness of Mario Kart and explaining his touchdown celebration moves. The video went viral, was widely covered in media, and gathered about 8 million views before the Super Bowl. Lynch re-appeared on the show prior to Super Bowl LI along with Gronkowski, Tom Brady, LeGarrette Blount, and Dwight Freeney playing the game For Honor.

Lynch appeared as himself, in an episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine in 2017. In the episode "The Fugitive", Lynch is an eyewitness to a convict escape and goes to the station to give his statement. The show references his reluctance to talk to the press during his NFL days, and Detective Rosa Diaz says of Lynch, "There are some vaults you just can't open." Lynch goes on to talk nonstop to the team.

The 2019 documentary film Marshawn Lynch: A History explores the roots of Lynch's reticence.

Lynch appeared as himself alongside Will Arnett in an episode of Murderville, a comedic murder-mystery streaming television series released by Netflix in February 2022. Within the episode, Lynch improvises alongside Arnett and attempts to solve a fictional murder mystery.

Lynch appeared on The Great American Baking Show in 2022.

Lynch played a high school teacher in the 2023 teen comedy Bottoms. In December 2023, Lynch appeared on Lego Masters second installment of its "Celebrity Holiday Bricktacular", teaming up with contestant Dave Guedes.

On May 13, 2024, Lynch appeared on Ian's "Figure It Out" music video.

In July 2024, Lynch began co-hosting the Politickin' podcast alongside California governor Gavin Newsom and sports agent Doug Hendrickson. In the podcast, they cover various topics that are mostly unrelated to politics, and interview celebrities from many different industries. In an October 10 episode entitled "Mayor Beastmode", the hosts focused on the idea of Lynch running for mayor of Oakland. Lynch did not confirm his intention to run, but did indicate that he was serious in considering it.