Richard Seymour Helps Sell Patriots to Raiders Lineman Gerard Warren

FOXBORO, Mass. — So it turns out the Patriots received more than just a first-round draft pick in 2011 when they traded Richard Seymour to the Raiders last year.

Despite Seymour's displeasure with being banished to football's black hole, he wound up being a pretty good salesman in Oakland, and his description of New England was enticing enough for defensive lineman Gerard Warren, who signed with the Patriots last month.

Warren said he spent "a little bit" of time in 2009 talking to Seymour about his Patriots career. Even though Seymour and head coach Bill Belichick haven’t been publicly conveyed as the best of friends, Seymour shared enough positive memories of his career in Foxboro.

"Once New England showed interest [this offseason], it was pretty much a deal," Warren said Tuesday. "I kind of knew what I was getting into when I came here."

Warren mentioned he and Seymour didn’t really discuss anything this offseason, but the new Patriot said Seymour's explanation of New England was "very appealing."

"It's all business," Warren said. "Come in, play winning football, have fun. [It's a] family environment. When you walk in through the doors, [it's] all business."

The marriage had been in the making well before Warren signed in New England immediately following last month's NFL draft. Apparently, the Patriots wanted to see how the draft played out, and once they realized they had a job open for Warren, the deal came to fruition. Warren said he was courted by "a couple" of other teams, too.

As it turned out, Warren thought his Patriots career was going to begin nearly a decade ago. Former Pats defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel conducted an extra workout with Warren just two days prior to the 2001 draft. But Cleveland snagged Warren with the third pick, and Seymour conveniently fell to New England at No. 6, putting things on hold for a little while.

"I thought it was very likely," Warren said of getting drafted by the Patriots. "I thought I was going to end up in New England."

Nine years later, Warren finally made it.