The Seattle Seahawks appear to be little worse than the team that shellacked the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. They have a majority of their team from last year returning, and their franchise QB will only be better and more experienced next year. But the clock is ticking for a team so chock full of talent.

Unless the salary cap makes some serious leaps in the next year, the Hawks will likely be faced with more cuts next offseason in order to remain cap compliant and to have enough room to sign said franchise QB, Russell Wilson.

One position that will be of great interest in that effort will be the running backs.

Marshawn Lynch will be the undisputed starter in 2014. There’s nothing wrong with that, but Lynch will be due a combined $16M over the next two seasons until his contract expires in 2016.

If the Seahawks are looking to save some money against the cap, where better to start than what has become one of the most devalued positions in football? Especially when Lynch is nearing 30 after several long, bruising seasons that could take their toll sooner rather than later.

If the Hawks were to cut Lynch after this season though, who would replace him? The odds-on favorite is last year’s draft pick Christine Michael.

From the News Tribune:

One other good thing about Michael finishing last season with only 18 carries: he finished the season with only 18 carries. Protecting the body of a running back for a whole year in the NFL holds its own value. If the Seahawks decide they can’t swallow Lynch’s 2015 cap hit and Michael has proven after more chances in 2014, which seems will be the case for him, he can take over, then they bought themselves almost two full years to work him in. His cap hit in 2015? A mere $920,300.

Lots of good points there. The Hawks would almost certainly downgrade at RB if they went from Lynch to Michael, but how much? Michael will get paid 1/10th of what Lynch is due. Surely he won’t be that much worse, right?

That just might be the question they look to answer in 2014.

Look for Christine Michael to receive an increased workload this year. If he does in fact get more touches, that could signal the beginning of the end for the Beast Mode Era in Seattle.