Richard Seymour was not at the Raiders' practice on Monday. He hasn't been seen or heard since he was traded on Sunday. Peter King, on SI.com, said that a close friend of Seymour's "would not be surprised if he doesn't report.''
That situation, however, is highly unlikely. If Seymour doesn't report, he could receive a "five-day letter." As NFL spokesman Michael Signora explained to ProFootballTalk.com explains, the five-day letter means that the Patriots would "send a letter to the player warning him that, in five days, the club has the right to place him on the reserve/left squad list. It explains to him that if they do place him in that category, he cannot play again this season."
If Seymour ended up on the reserve/left squad list, his contract would essentially be frozen for a year, leaving him unable to play for anyone this season and unable to collect any of his $3.7 million contract.
"It's unlikely Seymour will force his way back onto the Patriots roster," wrote the San Francisco Chronicle's David White. "He could hold out for a contract extension before reporting to Oakland — remember, this is a guy who held out twice on the Pats. Or, he could demand the team does not use the franchise tag on him after his contract expires at season's end."
Of course, moving from Foxborough to Oakland isn't something that can easily happen in the span of 24 hours, and all this talk could be much ado about nothing. Nobody can know anything, however, until Seymour emerges from wherever it is he's been and lets them know.
