Richard Seymour Signs with Oakland Raiders, and Team Solidifies New Direction

February 22, 2011   ·   Justin Smith   ·   Jump to comments

When the Oakland Raiders first traded their 2011 first-round draft pick to the New England Patriots for Richard Seymour, many people were skeptical.
Not of Seymour, who has been one of the best defensive lineman year in and year out throughout the past decade. Nor of what the Raiders gave up, as it wasn't unreasonable and the Raiders had recently not done well with their first-round picks anyhow.
No, people speculated, especially after Seymour went silent and didn't report immediately after the trade, that the perennial Pro Bowler and three-time Super Bowl champion had no desire to play for what was widely perceived as the most dysfunctional organization in sport at the time.
Seymour came in, played well and said all the right things. But he still didn't sign a long-term deal. The Raiders franchised him last season; many thought that was the only way Seymour would stay in Oakland.
Well, fast-forward to February 16, 2011, and Seymour did what many thought he would ne...

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