As one Patriots employee put it yesterday, ''Just saw a 20-wheeler Brinks truck pull up to the front door. Seymour must have signed."
He was right. Arguably the best defensive lineman in the NFL, Richard Seymour will remain with the Patriots for the long term after agreeing to a multiyear contract extension that was under review by the NFL because of a rule that doesn't allow a team to change the dollars in a contract twice in the same year.
In any event, Seymour, who had talked in the past like a man who was not interested in giving a hometown discount, agreed to a deal that by his measure had to be at or near the top of the market for a defensive player.
While the details of the extension have not been disclosed, one league source indicated Seymour got at least a four-year deal that would average between $7 million and $8 million per season.
The amount of the signing bonus wasn't known, but it likely trumped what defensive tackles John Henderson (six years, $34 million with $13.6 million in guaranteed money) and Marcus Stroud (five years, $31.5 million with $12.5 million in bonuses) got from Jacksonville last month and last year, respectively. It's not known if it approaches the $16 million bonus Jevon Kearse got when he signed an eight-year deal with the Eagles in 2004.
Seymour, who was scheduled to earn $2.02 million this season, had said he wanted to be a Patriot for the remainder of his career, but also wanted to be paid as a top defensive end.
He held out briefly during training camp last season until the Patriots gave him a $2.5 million bump in pay for the 2005 season, with the promise the team would attempt to work out a long-term arrangement with Seymour's agent, Eugene Parker.
The agreement now ensures that Seymour, who would have counted $4.4 million against the cap this season, will continue to be part of one of the most formidable young defensive lines in the NFL. Although bonus figures will affect the majority of the prorated first-year cap hit, it may not be significantly more than what Seymour was already due to count against the cap.
According to NFL Players Association figures in February, Seymour was the 10th-highest-paid defensive end in the league, averaging $5.26 million per season. The highest-paid defensive end was Simeon Rice ($10.7 million), followed by Bryant Young ($7.87 million) and Jason Taylor ($7.86 million).
The highest-paid defensive tackle was San Diego's Jamal Williams at $6.74 million, followed by Stroud at $6.52 million.
In a 3-4 defense, some teams make the case that Seymour's position is really a tackle, but Seymour, 27, never saw it that way. He anchors a line that includes Ty Warren, Vince Wilfork, Jarvis Green, and Marquise Hill, all of whom are signed through at least the 2008 season.
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