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.
In the second game of the 2012 season, Lynch had 122 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 27–7 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. On September 30, against the St. Louis Rams, he had 118 rushing yards and touchdown in the 19–13 loss. In Weeks 7–10, he posted four consecutive games with at least 100 rushing yards and three consecutive games with a rushing touchdown. In Week 14, in a 58–0 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, he had 128 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. In the next game, a 50–17 victory over the Buffalo Bills, he had 113 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. In the penultimate game of the regular season, he had 111 rushing yards and a touchdown in a 42–13 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. The Seahawks finished with an 11–5 record and made the playoffs in the 2012 season. In the Wild Card Round against the Washington Redskins, he finished with 132 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 24–14 victory. In the Divisional Round against the Atlanta Falcons, he had 46 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, and 37 receiving yards in the 30–28 loss.
Overall, Lynch started all 16 regular-season games, as well as the two playoff games the Seahawks were in. He accumulated 1,590 yards rushing on 315 attempts. He scored 11 touchdowns, his longest being a 77-yard touchdown run. He averaged 19.7 attempts per game and 99.4 yards per game, and over the course of the season, Lynch had an average of 5.05 yards per carry. He fumbled 4 times, and lost two of them. Lynch was named as a First-team All-Pro and was elected into the 2013 Pro Bowl as a reserve. He was ranked as 24th best player in the league among his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2013.
In Week 2 of the 2013 season against the San Francisco 49ers, Lynch had 98 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 29–3 victory. In a 34–28 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on October 6, he had 102 rushing yards. On November 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he had 125 rushing yards in the 27–24 victory. He followed that up with 145 rushing yards and a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons. In the next game against the Minnesota Vikings, he added two more rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown. Overall, he was a significant contributor for the Seahawks in the 2013 season, rushing for 1,257 yards and 12 touchdowns, and recording three 100-yard games. He tied with Jamaal Charles for the league lead in rushing touchdowns. The Seattle Seahawks finished with a 13–3 record and earned a first-round bye in the playoffs. In the Divisional Round against the New Orleans Saints, he had 140 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 23–15 victory. In the NFC Championship against the San Francisco 49ers, he had 109 rushing yards and a touchdown in the 23–17 victory. He was voted to the Pro Bowl for the third straight year, but had to decline the appearance due to his participation in Super Bowl XLVIII. He ended up rushing for 39 yards on 15 carries during that game, including a one-yard rushing touchdown, resulting in the team's first Super Bowl victory by defeating the Denver Broncos 43–8. He was ranked 14th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2014.
On July 24, 2014, former Seahawks fullback and good friend Michael Robinson announced on NFL Network's Inside Training Camp that Lynch would hold out of Training Camp while he waited for a restructured contract from the Seahawks. Lynch and the Seahawks quickly agreed to new terms for the season, and Lynch served as the starting running back for the team, ahead of backups Robert Turbin and Christine Michael.
In the 2014 season opener, Lynch had 110 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in a 36–16 victory over the Green Bay Packers. During Week 3 against the Denver Broncos, he completed the first overtime drive by rushing for a touchdown, giving the Seahawks a 26–20 victory over Denver in a Super Bowl rematch. On November 2, against the Oakland Raiders, he had 67 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, and 76 receiving yards. In the next game against the New York Giants, he had a stellar performance with 140 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns in the 38–17 victory. He scored 24 total points in the game, which was tied with Jonas Gray for the most by any player in a single game in the 2014 season. He continued his successful string of games with 124 rushing yards against the Kansas City Chiefs in a loss the following week.
Lynch had a career-long 79-yard touchdown run against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 16, similar to his "Beast Quake" 67-yard scoring run in the 2011 Wild Card Round against the New Orleans Saints. Four days later, Lynch was fined $11,050 by the NFL for his celebration of the score; falling back while extending the ball behind his head and grabbing his crotch. The league considered his celebration an "obscene gesture" to constitute unsportsmanlike conduct. Lynch shared the league lead in rushing touchdowns for the second consecutive season, this time sharing with DeMarco Murray.
The Seahawks finished with a 12–4 record and earned a first round bye. He was named to the Pro Bowl for the fifth time in his career. In the Divisional Round against the Carolina Panthers, he had 59 rushing yards in the 31–17 victory. He contributed heavily to a late comeback in the NFC Championship against the Green Bay Packers in a rematch of the season-opener, catching a 26-yard pass to set up one touchdown and later scoring a touchdown of his own on a 24-yard run. The Seahawks won 28–22 in overtime after trailing 19–7 with less than four minutes remaining in the game. His 157 rushing yards in the game were a career postseason high for Lynch, as were his 183 total yards from scrimmage.
Lynch made headlines at Super Bowl XLIX Media Day on January 27, 2015, when he held a five-minute press conference, only answering "I'm just here so I won't get fined" to every question. He has a history of unwillingness to talk to the media.
In Super Bowl XLIX, where the Seahawks lost 28–24 to the New England Patriots, Lynch had 24 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown, plus a catch for 31 yards. Late in the fourth quarter on a potential game-winning drive, Lynch ran the ball from the five yard line but was tackled by Dont'a Hightower at the one-yard line. On the next offensive play of the game, the Seahawks chose to pass the ball at the one-yard line instead of running it with Lynch, and Russell Wilson's pass was intercepted by Malcolm Butler. Lynch was visibly upset by the decision and left the Seahawks locker room without addressing the media. He stated in a later interview with Conan O'Brien that he was "expecting the ball" prior to the play. He was ranked ninth by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015.
On March 6, 2015, the Seahawks and Lynch agreed to a 2-year, $24 million contract extension. Lynch struggled to pile up yardage early in the season but starred in Week 7 in a 20–3 win over the rival San Francisco 49ers, against whom he racked up 122 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. Midway through the 2015 season, Lynch needed to have sports hernia surgery. Lynch's backup, undrafted rookie Thomas Rawls, had a 209-yard game against the 49ers in Week 11.
Ahead of the Seahawks Wild Card Round matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, Lynch was anticipated to make his return, but decided to stay behind in Seattle, stating that he felt that he could not play. Seattle went on to win, 10–9. Lynch made his return from injury against the Carolina Panthers in the Divisional Round, carrying only six times for 20 yards, and caught two passes for 15 yards in the 31–24 loss.
