I feel as though I’m in an episode of the Twilight Zone. The last few days have been filled with rumors and speculation regarding some Seattle Seahawks: one who is retired and another who just turned 29 years old.

Of course, I’m talking about Marshawn Lynch and Richard Sherman, a running back and cornerback who are respectively the best at what they do.

Or at least they were.

Word out of Oakland is that Marshawn Lynch is looking to come out of retirement to play for the Raiders this season, following a year out of the league. This in no way has anything to do with the Steelers, but if it did, I would want to stay as far away from a deal with Lynch as possible. He may have been a talented player at one time, but he has also been unreliable and problematic to deal with.

Initially drafted by the Buffalo Bills, Lynch was successful in his first two seasons in the NFL, but had missed some time with injuries and then off-field trouble stemming from misdemeanor weapons charges. Buffalo would cut ties with the back, trading him to Seattle for two draft picks. The change of scenery was a resurgence for Lynch’s career, but he felt he deserved more money entering the 2014 season. Because he publicly announced he would sit out training camp unless he received a new deal the Seahawks restructured his contract to keep the player happy.

He would sign a large $24 million two-year extension in 2015 but stuck the Seahawks with the bill. Literally.

Lynch’s injury history crept up again and he would only appear in seven games that season. Deciding to stay in Seattle rather than travel for a postseason game in which many thought he would make his return signaled what many thought would be the beginning of the end. That end would come a week later when Lynch carried the ball only six times for 20 yards and caught two passes for 15.

Lynch retired for the 2016 season, and the Seahawks had to decide what to do with his remaining $11.5 million cap number. The team would eventually move him to the reserve/retirement list, eating $5 million in guaranteed money but reserving rights to the player in the event he would want to unretire.

And now he does.

A move for Lynch will cost any team some form of compensation. And rightfully so: the ‘Hawks were left with the dinner bill.

I truly feel for any team who feels the need to reach out for a player with an injury history who will turn 31 years old later this month. There’s no guarantee he will have his head, heart or loyalty in place to play a full season in addition to providing the type of play he once had.

In those seven starts from 2015, Lynch carried the ball 111 times for 417 yards and three touchdowns, while catching 13 passes for 80 yards. He regressed greatly and while he could bounce back, there’s way too much risk for any NFL team to take on for the amount of money he will command.

Richard Sherman, on the other hand, has long been considered one of the best corners in the game. Sherman has made news recently due to Seattle’s general manager openly discussing that he has been involved in talks to trade him.

Sherman’s situation is awkward. He regressed some last season, and if not for the roster guarantees kicked in from his being on the team last season, some are speculating Seattle could cut him. It’s clear that the Seahawks want to get out from under a now aging player who could be on the downside of his career.

Sherman’s plight nearly mirrors that of Darrelle Revis, who many Steelers fans anticipated courting for a potential roster spot when he became available nearly a month ago. Revis was 29-years-old at the height of his career when he won Super Bowl XLIX with the New England Patriots. As a free agent, he went back to the team who originally drafted him (the New York Jets) and was released this offseason.

The Jets are still paying him $6 million in guaranteed money for 2017, whether Revis signs elsewhere or not. Thus, any team looking to take on Richard Sherman would also be burdened with the high-dollar contract unless they were to restructure. I speculate this is part of the reason the Seahawks wish to do a deal to get away from him and his nearly $13 million cap number in each of the next two seasons.

While I don’t feel Sherman will leave anyone “holding the check” in the same way as Lynch, but perhaps more like Revis. Does Sherman have two more years left? And if he does (and maybe beyond) is he worth the money in addition to whatever Seattle’s asking price is?

My take is no. No to both. Stay far, far away and let someone else be the sucker on the wrong end of a bad deal. The Pittsburgh Steelers are a team who operates in a way as to not mortgage their future. Spending a lot of money on an outsider while also giving away draft picks is an “all-in” mentality to win now, but not Pittsburgh’s style toward maintaining the “standard” for the future.