Seattle Seahawks won't use Marshawn Lynch's No. 24 in 2016

Marshawn Lynch is committed to retirement, and the Seattle Seahawks are equally dedicated to keeping incoming players out of his No. 24 jersey.

As a sign of respect, Seahawks general manager John Schneider said Monday that he promised Lynch the No. 24 would not be used in 2016.

"One of my last conversations with Marshawn was that nobody was going to wear No. 24 this year in the regular season," John Schneider told 710 ESPN in Seattle.

Lynch, 30, did not formally announce his retirement, instead posted a telling but cryptic message to social media with a photo of neon green and gold Nike cleats hanging. The message was first seen on Twitter during the fourth quarter of Super Bowl 50 on Feb. 7.

Wide receiver Doug Baldwin took to Twitter on Saturday to request the Seahawks not keep Lynch's jersey number in circulation, this after Seattle drafted Notre Dame running back C.J. Procise with the 90th overall pick and then added Arkansas' Alex Collins in the fifth and Clemson tailback Zac Brooks in the seventh. On Sunday, they officially signed former USC running back Tre Madden.

"I appreciate Doug's input," Schneider said. "I'm glad he wants to help distribute jersey numbers."

Schneider said that official retirement paperwork would be filed in June and the Seahawks did not expect any surprise change of heart from Lynch, who played nine seasons in the NFL but missed nine regular-season games and the wild-card playoff win at Minnesota due to injuries.

Lynch nearly retired in 2015 because of back pain.

In five seasons with the Seahawks, Lynch had 5,774 yards and led the NFL in that span with 51 rushing touchdowns. For his career, he posted 2,144 carries, 9,112 yards and 74 touchdowns.