Report: Lynch interested in joining Patriots if Raiders talks break down

Marshawn Lynch's rumored return to the NFL from a brief retirement might not be entirely about playing in his hometown of Oakland, after all.

Lynch has expressed interest in joining the New England Patriots if his discussions with the Oakland Raiders break down, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald reports.

Howe notes that it's a long shot Lynch would join Bill Belichick and the team that defeated Lynch's Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.

Lynch's eccentricity might seem to be a poor fit for the Patriots, but the team has a history of getting top-end production out of players who don't necessarily conform to the standard notion of what a football player should be.

The Patriots are in need of a power running back to fill the hole left by LeGarrette Blount (who could still re-sign with the team) and Lynch might be an ideal player to do it, but it's not necessarily as simple as signing him. Should Lynch decide he wants to un-retire, his playing rights will revert to the Seahawks, who will then have to choose whether to retain him, cut him, or try to trade him.