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Marshawn Lynch inactive, as he and Seahawks continue to fade

ARLINGTON, TX - NOVEMBER 01:   Marshawn Lynch #24 of the Seattle Seahawks carries the ball against  Sean Lee #50 of the Dallas Cowboys and  Byron Jones #31 of the Dallas Cowboys in the second half at AT&T Stadium on November 1, 2015 in Arlington, Texas.  (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - NOVEMBER 01: Marshawn Lynch #24 of the Seattle Seahawks carries the ball against Sean Lee #50 of the Dallas Cowboys and Byron Jones #31 of the Dallas Cowboys in the second half at AT&T Stadium on November 1, 2015 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

The Marshawn Lynch retirement rumors were strong for a while before the 2014 season. Then he reported to camp (with a reworked contract), he kept running over defenders and the Seattle Seahawks kept winning.

In 2015 Lynch is no longer indestructible, the Seahawks are no longer winning most of their games, and one has to wonder if the retirement rumors might become reality soon.

Lynch was declared inactive before the Seahawks' game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. He has been dealing with an abdominal issue, but was questionable on the injury report. Apparently he wasn't healthy enough to play. Lynch has been banged up most of this season. Lynch missed one game with the Seahawks before this season, and that came back in 2011. Sunday is his third missed game this season.

Everyone knew that Lynch's physical style, and the numerous carries he has had since entering the NFL, would catch up to him. It didn't last year, when he averaged 4.7 yards per carry and had 13 rushing touchdowns as the Seahawks came a yard away from a Super Bowl victory. Lynch hasn't been the same guy this season.

He has 3.8 yards per carry this year. He had never been below 4.2 yards per carry in any of his first four full Seahawks seasons. Lynch was a foundation of their offense, with Russell Wilson playing an important yet complementary role to "Beast Mode." But Lynch hasn't looked dominant this season. And the Seahawks haven't been the same team, limping into Sunday with a 4-5 record. Lynch has 2,144 career carries and turns 30 in April.

And he is owed $9 million in base salary next season.

Do the Seahawks part ways with a player who has meant so much to their great success and has been one of the best backs of his era? Parting ways has to be considered, given Lynch's age, workload through the years and his salary. It also has to be possible that Lynch, who has a violent running style and has made a lot of money already, doesn't want to put up with battling through injuries for another season.

So Lynch was out on Sunday. The bigger question is, is this close to the end for Lynch in Seattle?

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!