Tom Brady is soon getting assistance from a fellow New England Patriots Super Bowl-winning teammate of his. Only this time, Richard Seymour is closing in on helping the seven-time champion with owning the Las Vegas Raiders.
Richard Seymour Reportedly Joining Raiders Ownership
According to NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio on Tuesday, three-time Super Bowl champion defensive lineman Seymour is close to completing a deal that would make him a limited partner of the Raiders alongside Brady. This move will also give Seymour shared ownership duties alongside Brady and Raiders majority owner Mark Davis.
Speaking of the latter, the move to lure in Seymour involves an important vision that Davis’ famed father and former Raiders owner Al Davis left behind.
“If/when it becomes official, the arrangement will be the culmination of an effort that dates back to 2020, with owner Mark Davis continuing his father’s commitment to equality,” Florio reported. “It was Al Davis who was ahead of his (and the league’s) time when it comes to diversity, from hiring Tom Flores and Art Shell to coach the team to making Amy Trask the team’s president. It’s Mark Davis who initiated the effort to involve Seymour in ownership.”
By completing the Seymour hire, Florio notes that the defender and Brady will own 10.4% of the Raiders.
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The next phase would take place in October, when 24 NFL owners would need to vote to approve the transaction.
Brady also faces a dilemma involving his upcoming television work with Fox Sports, as he’s lined up to join Kevin Burkhardt and Erin Andrews as part of the network’s top NFL broadcast team. The league, Fox, and Brady will soon need to completely address any conflict of interest that may arise in his ownership stake in the Raiders.
Revisiting Richard Seymour’s Hall of Fame Career
While Brady was the face of the Patriots’ dynasty, Seymour was considered an instrumental figure in installing the toughness of the New England defense.
Seymour was New England’s first-round selection in the 2001 NFL Draft out of Georgia, right before the Patriots’ dynasty began. Head coach Bill Belichick found creative ways to utilize the 6’6″, 317-pound Seymour as an interior and outside rusher.
Seymour cracked the starting lineup in 10 games during his rookie season while playing in 13 total. He ended his debut NFL season with 45 total tackles, 25 solo stops, five tackles for a loss, and three sacks.
From there, Seymour established himself as one of the league’s most versatile and dominating trench defenders.
Seymour earned his first Pro Bowl selection in 2002 by snatching 56 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks. Seymour’s 2002 campaign began a run of five consecutive Pro Bowl appearances.
Seymour went on to produce two eight-sack campaigns for the Pats while collecting 359 tackles, 225 solo tackles, and 91 tackles for loss while winning three Super Bowls during the early portion of New England’s dynasty. He was eventually traded to the Raiders in 2009 and spent his last four NFL seasons with the Silver and Black.
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While with the Raiders, Seymour earned two more Pro Bowl nods in 2010 and 2011 before calling it a career in 2012. Seymour delivered 18.5 sacks, 139 tackles, and 27 tackles for loss for the Raiders.
Seymour was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022. Seymour is also enshrined in the Patriots’ HOF.