Adios Big Sey 93

Monster deal today, as the Patriots ship Richard Seymour to the Oakland Raiders for a 2011 first round pick. There are a lot of layers to this deal, so let's explore them.

1. Seymour's contract was up after this season, and in the past he has shown an unwillingness to sign a cap friendly deal that the Pats are known for. He held out during his last contract squabble, and ultimately was the only player during this current run the Patriots are on to win in a contract negotiation. Clearly they didn't think they could re-sign them.

2. Normally the high first round picks are pretty unappealing to the Patriots. They hate committing big dollars to young, ultimately unproven prospects. HOWEVER, with the new collective bargaing agreement looming, one of the hot topics is salary slots for draft picks, which would allow veterans to make the well earned big dollars, while rookies would become relatively cheap. If that's the case, the early first round picks would be extremely valuable, where as now they are extremely risky, and a bust can set your franchise back for years. In this regard, the Pats got great compensation.

3. This deal certainly doesn't make the Pats better this year. The last couple years they have struggled in a lot of ways defensively. Especially last year, when they were awful in the red zone, had a mediocre pass rush and a terrible pass defense. These are still legitimate concerns heading into this year, even with the revamped secondary. Getting rid of last year's leading sack artist certainly isn't going to help your defense.

It seems this is a long term move, and potentially a good one. But this is a club with a chance to win a Super Bowl, and this absolutely doesn't further that cause. That's the biggest issue I have with the deal. In situations like this, we as a fan base tend to fall back on the "In Bill We Trust" motto, and with good reason. Under the hooded genius we have won three Lombardi trophies. But this move, on the surface, weakens a team that on paper was a favorite to win a title.

Was Seymour past his prime? Maybe, but he didn't seem to be declining in the performance department, at least not to my naked eye. The IBWT crowd will say that Belichick had to think Seymour was declining, as well as being impressed with rookies Ron Brace and Marlon Pryor. All fair points, and maybe all true. Maybe the dline of Wilfork, Brace/Pryor, Burgess and Warren won't be so bad. At the very least it's a little thinner than it was, which is a tad nerve wracking.

Another potentional plus however, is the deal frees up cap space which could in turn be used to re-sign Vince Wilfork. The Pats have 20 contracts up after this season, and they need money to re-sign these guys. On top of that, Brady's contract is up after 2010. Obviously he is the top priority. And if the Seymour deal helps keep the golden boy here, I'm all for it.

Just to look at it from the Raiders point of view. What an awful deal. They give up a potentially lucrative pick (especially if it's salary slotted), and they get a rent-a-player in Seymour. Does Seymour make the Raiders a better defensive unit? Yup. A good defensive unit? Nope. Will he re-sign there long term? Of course not! So the Raiders get a mercenary to help them go 5-11, then skip out of town, and all it cost them was a 1st round pick. What a joke organization. If there is a plus size, they would have blown the pick. See Heyward-Bey, Darius.

All in all, it's a good long term deal for the Patriots. So I'll give it my stamp of approval. Just know I reserve the right to change my mind if they lose a Super Bowl title when they can't stop somebody on 3rd and 2.