The stunning trade came just eight days before the Patriots open their season against Buffalo on “Monday Night Football.’’ The trade of the five-time Pro Bowl defensive end leaves just four players that have been with New England for all three of its Super Bowl championship seasons (2001, 2003, and 2004) - Tom Brady, Matt Light, Kevin Faulk, and Stephen Neal - while, in the short term, weakening the team’s pursuit of another title by breaking up one of the NFL’s elite defensive lines.
This was the final season of the lucrative, $30-million-plus contract extension Seymour received in 2006, the last time he was entering the last year of his contract. He was set to make $3.685 million in base salary and carry a cap charge of $9.79 million this season.
Perhaps faced with choosing between re-signing Seymour or nose tackle Vince Wilfork (also in the final contract year), and with more personnel flexibility because of the increased use of 4-3 schemes, the Patriots made the difficult decision to get future value now at the cost of Seymour’s presence this season.
“From nearly the day he arrived in 2001, Richard Seymour established himself as one of our premier players for nearly a decade,’’ said Patriots coach Bill Belichick in a statement. “His presence has been felt as a force on the field, a respected man off it, and a multiyear champion.
“Any transaction we make is with the goal of what is best for our team and as difficult as it is to part ways with a player of Richard’s stature, many factors were taken into account when we considered this trade. As an organization, we feel the trade with Oakland brings sufficient value and is in the long-term interest of the club. We are extremely grateful for the huge impact Richard’s elite level of performance had on our success, and we wish him the very best during the rest of his career.’’
