The Patriots have officially announced the trade of DE Richard Seymour to the Raiders, issuing a release late this morning, with commentary from Bill Belichick.
”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,” Belichick continued. “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.“Mike Reiss, Boston Globe’s excellent reporter who works the Patriots’ beat, weighed in with his initial reaction on the trade. Seymour is entering the final year of his contract, and is due $3.685 million -- money that will now come off the Pats’ salary cap. In addition to the immediate financial relief, Reiss thinks Belichick and Co. have the league’s uncertain labor future in mind.
In acquiring a first-round draft choice in 2011, the Patriots appear to have the NFL’s uncertain labor forecast in mind. That could be the first year with a rookie cap. The economics of top first-round draft choices currently make those choices undesirable, but with a cap, the value of those picks could skyrocket.The flip side of the strategy, however, is that there is no guarantee of a rookie cap. Also, if owners and players can’t agree on a new collective bargaining agreement, there is no guarantee that there will be football in 2011. Furthermore, while the Raiders have struggled in recent years, there is no certainty the pick will be in the top half of the round.
Belichick Comments On Seymour Trade
Reiss is probably just being nice and polite by including that last bit -- there’s no way that isn’t a top-10 pick in the ‘11 Draft.
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