When the story surfaced Monday that Seattle Seahawks running backs coach Sherman Smith would not return next season, it was unclear who made the decision.

Appearing as a guest Friday morning on 710 ESPN Seattle’s “Brock and Salk Show,” Smith explained how it all went down.

“I had told Marshawn [Lynch], when he retired, I was going to retire, and that was the truth,” Sherman said. “I said, ‘When you’re through, I’m through.'”

Lynch hung up his cleats last season, but convinced Smith to stay with the team and help develop running back Thomas Rawls.

After the Seahawks Divisional Round loss to the Atlanta Falcons in January, coach Pete Carroll called Smith into his office and said he wanted to make a change. Smith recounted the conversation.

“And so we went into the meeting and Pete just started talking about he thought it was time to make a change. It surprised me because I thought I would be the one more or less leading the conversation and either saying, ‘Well, I haven’t decided to retire yet’ or ‘I’m going to coach another year,’ but I didn’t think it would be him saying, ‘I want to make a change,’ because with that you take with that, evidently you’re not happy with the job I’m doing. But that’s not what he was saying. He just said, ‘I felt I think it’s time just to make a change.'”

Smith, 62, said Carroll gave him the opportunity to remain with the coaching staff, but that current assistant running backs coach Chad Morton would be promoted to his position.

“Chad does a great job,” Smith said. “When Chad and I started working together a couple years ago, I told him my goal was to prepare you to be the best running backs coach in the NFL and the one to be the next running backs coach for the Seahawks, if that’s what he wanted. So in a sense the goal was attained.”

Smith played eight seasons for the Seahawks and coached the running backs for the last seven years. He is the third Seahawks coach to resign this season.

Assistant linebackers coach Lofa Tatupu is reportedly leaving the team to pursue other opportunities. Assistant head coach of the defense, Rocky Seto, is joining the ministry.