With a 40 percent raise, Seymour comes to camp

The assumption is that it will be business as usual today, with Seymour sweating and grunting with the rest of his Super Bowl champion teammates.

The agreement marks the end of a summer mini-series. Though Seymour was under contract, in the fifth year of a six-year deal, the three-time Pro Bowl player had been a no-show. He missed minicamp in June, and when training camp began last week, the 6-foot-6-inch, 310-pound veteran with three Super Bowl rings was absent.

Coach Bill Belichick has been adamant in talking only about the players who were here, rather than those who were not, even someone as valuable as Seymour, who under the renegotiated fifth year of his contract will get a raise of 40 percent, bringing his salary this year to approximately $4 million. He originally was scheduled to earn $2.87 million under the contract he signed as a rookie.

''I said that I would announce something as soon as we had something to say," said Belichick. ''We did that this morning and we're happy about it. In terms of the contract and the negotiations or anything that went down, I'm not going to get into any of that. But we're happy to have Richard come back to camp and look forward to seeing him out on the field."

So do his teammates, although they made it clear, in true Patriot fashion, that as good as Seymour may be, his absence did not diminish their ability to focus on the task at hand, which is preparing to win an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl.

''It's nice to have him back, now that he's here," said linebacker Mike Vrabel, who is expected to assume more of a leadership role in the absence of Tedy Bruschi and Ted Johnson. ''He's a presence in the locker room and on the field."

Linebacker Rosevelt Colvin was even more emphatic: ''He's a quality player who can help our team. We need Richard." The players seemed to understand that contract disputes, especially those that form during a summer camp of two-a-day drills, are nothing personal.

''It was Richard taking care of business," said cornerback Eugene Wilson. ''We were hoping that things worked out for the best."