Marshawn Lynch has actually retired twice: first on February 7, 2016, and then again after the 2018 NFL season.

Quick Scoop: When did Marshawn Lynch retire?

  • His first retirement came on February 7, 2016, the day of Super Bowl 50, when he tweeted a photo of his cleats hanging from a wire to signal he was done playing.
  • He later returned to the NFL in 2017 to play for his hometown Oakland Raiders.
  • After the 2018 season with the Raiders, he stepped away again, with reports in April 2019 saying he was “not planning to play football again.”

So if you’re asking “when did Marshawn Lynch retire,” the key dates people usually point to are:

  • February 7, 2016 – his first, headline-making retirement.
  • Post-2018 season (reported April 2019) – his second retirement, which has effectively stuck.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.