Where does that leave Seymour? Tag, he's it.
The NFL told teams they can use the franchise tag again starting today. And sometime in the 14-day window, the Raiders are expected to tag Seymour once again.
League sources anticipate Oakland giving the 32-year-old Seymour a one-year, $14.9 million contract. The figure is based on the average of the top-five salaries at his position, plus a 20-percent raise for receiving the exclusive-rights franchise tag two years in a row.
Both owner Al Davis and new head coach Hue Jackson have talked glowingly of Seymour this offseason. And they probably don't want to risk letting Seymour walk just as the Patriots are using the first-round pick (No. 17) the Raiders gave them for Seymour in 2009.
As for Seymour, he is happy in Oakland.
He moved from end to tackle last season, and the defensive line was one of the driving forces behind an 8-8 season - a three-game improvement from 2009. He took on a leadership role with the younger players, and late in the season he said, "I see myself retiring as a Raider."
The interesting thing is that the Raiders would seem to have attractive, cheaper alternatives to Seymour. Second-year end Lamarr Houston could move inside, and third-year tackle Desmond Bryant played well when Seymour was hurt the last two weeks of the season.
