The Buccaneers' Super Bowl-winning backfield would have been stronger with Marshawn Lynch in it. Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Marshawn Lynch wanted to join Tom Brady with Buccaneers?

Five-time Pro Bowl running back Marshawn Lynch recently joined the ownership group of USL Championship side Oakland Roots, hasn't played since completing a cup-of-coffee run with the Seattle Seahawks late in the 2019 season, and turns 35 years old next Thursday. One couldn't be blamed for presuming "Beast Mode" was enjoying his retirement and hadn't given any thought to taking another hit as an active NFL player. 

As noted by JoeBucsFan.com and Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk, however, Lynch told Conan O’Brien in December he'd be willing to sign for a Super Bowl contender and that he had allegedly received some interest from teams. The bruising ball-carrier elaborated during an appearance on ESPN's "SportsNation" that he had the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in mind this past holiday season.

"I was specifically speaking to Tom Brady and the Bucs. That’s who I was talking to," Lynch said on ESPN. 

The Buccaneers had Leonard Fournette, Ronald Jones II and LeSean McCoy on the roster by early January and did not need help in the backfield during their playoff journey that ended with a Super Bowl victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Still, it's somewhat fun to imagine Brady handing the ball off to Lynch in a goal-line situation leading up to a touchdown celebration that could've included the pair enjoying some Skittles on the sideline. 

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