# Richard Seymour
**Richard Seymour** is an American former professional football player who was a defensive lineman for 12 seasons in the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league), spending eight seasons with the [New England Patriots](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-england-patriots) (2001-08) and four with the [Oakland Raiders](https://www.edgepedia.org/oakland-raiders) (2009-12), and who was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the Class of 2022.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Draft | Selected by the New England Patriots in the first round, sixth overall, of the 2001 NFL Draft out of the University of Georgia[1](https://www.profootballhof.com/players/richard-seymour) |
| Career span | 12 seasons, 164 games; Patriots 2001-08, Raiders 2009-12[1](https://www.profootballhof.com/players/richard-seymour) |
| Career statistics | 57.5 sacks, 496 tackles (324 solo), 39 passes defensed, two interceptions, four forced fumbles, eight fumble recoveries[1](https://www.profootballhof.com/players/richard-seymour) |
| Honors | Seven Pro Bowls; first-team All-Pro three straight seasons (2003-05) and second team twice (2006, 2011); NFL All-Decade Team of the 2000s[2](https://www.raiders.com/history/richard-seymour) |
| Championships | Three Super Bowl titles (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX) and four AFC Championship Game appearances with New England[2](https://www.raiders.com/history/richard-seymour) |
| Signature play | 68-yard fumble return for a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills on October 3, 2004, the longest fumble return in Patriots franchise history[3](https://www.patriots.com/news/patriots-trade-dl-richard-seymour-to-raiders-156131) |
| Hall of Fame | Enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2022[4](https://www.raiders.com/news/richard-seymour-enshrined-in-pro-football-hall-of-fame-class-of-2022-nfl) |
## College career and draft
Seymour played college football at the [University of Georgia](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-georgia), where he was named first-team [All-America](https://www.edgepedia.org/all-america) in 2000 and earned first-team All-SEC honors in both 1999 and 2000[5](https://scahof.org/Portals/7/Images/SCAHoF_2025_booklet-web.pdf). The Patriots selected him with the sixth overall pick of the 2001 NFL Draft[1](https://www.profootballhof.com/players/richard-seymour). At 6 feet 6 inches and about 310 pounds, he was a versatile lineman who spent time at both defensive end and defensive tackle during his professional career[1](https://www.profootballhof.com/players/richard-seymour).
## New England Patriots (2001-2008)
Seymour started 10 of 13 games as a rookie and helped the Patriots win their first [Super Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl) title, an upset victory over the [St. Louis Rams](https://www.edgepedia.org/st-louis-rams) in [Super Bowl XXXVI](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-xxxvi)[1](https://www.profootballhof.com/players/richard-seymour) • [3](https://www.patriots.com/news/patriots-trade-dl-richard-seymour-to-raiders-156131). He was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team in 2001[1](https://www.profootballhof.com/players/richard-seymour).
His eight seasons in New England produced six division titles, four conference championships, and three Super Bowl victories[3](https://www.patriots.com/news/patriots-trade-dl-richard-seymour-to-raiders-156131). He was voted to five consecutive Pro Bowls with the Patriots (2002-06), a total that per the Patriots Hall of Fame is the most by any Patriots defensive lineman since the 1970 NFL merger[6](https://www.patriotshalloffame.com/hall_of_famer/richard-seymour/). He earned first-team All-Pro honors in three straight seasons (2003-05) and second-team selection in 2006[2](https://www.raiders.com/history/richard-seymour).
In eight seasons with the Patriots he started 105 of 111 games and totaled 39 sacks, a figure that ranked 10th in franchise history at the time of his trade[3](https://www.patriots.com/news/patriots-trade-dl-richard-seymour-to-raiders-156131). He led the Patriots in sacks twice, in 2002 and 2008, and registered 8 sacks in both 2003 and 2008[2](https://www.raiders.com/history/richard-seymour) • [1](https://www.profootballhof.com/players/richard-seymour). On October 3, 2004, he returned a fumble 68 yards for a touchdown in a 31-17 win over Buffalo, the longest fumble return in franchise history[3](https://www.patriots.com/news/patriots-trade-dl-richard-seymour-to-raiders-156131).
New England's defense in those years used a 3-4 front with two-gap responsibilities, and Seymour lined up at multiple positions within it. A 2003 training-camp preview described him as the Patriots' most dominant front-seven player and noted that coach [Bill Belichick](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-belichick) valued his combination of size, speed, and athleticism as a right defensive end in the new scheme[7](https://www.patriots.com/news/camp-preview-defensive-line-165396).
## Trade to the Raiders and Oakland years (2009-2012)
On September 6, 2009, the Patriots traded Seymour to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for a first-round draft choice in the 2011 NFL Draft[3](https://www.patriots.com/news/patriots-trade-dl-richard-seymour-to-raiders-156131). Belichick called him one of the franchise's premier players for nearly a decade and said the trade brought sufficient value in the long-term interest of the club[3](https://www.patriots.com/news/patriots-trade-dl-richard-seymour-to-raiders-156131).
Seymour played four seasons in Oakland, appearing in 53 games from 2009 through 2012, including 16 games in each of 2009 and 2011[8](https://www.nfl.com/players/richard-seymour/stats/career). His play remained at a high level: he earned [Pro Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/pro-bowl) selections in 2010 and 2011, the latter his second straight selection and seventh overall, and he was a second-team All-Pro in 2011[2](https://www.raiders.com/history/richard-seymour). He retired after the 2012 season[1](https://www.profootballhof.com/players/richard-seymour).
## Playing style and reputation
Seymour's sack total of 57.5 is modest by Hall of Fame standards for defensive linemen, and his selection rested heavily on his all-around play. He recorded three or more sacks in every season of his career except one, and in games in which he recorded a sack his teams had a record of 46-8[2](https://www.raiders.com/history/richard-seymour). His 496 tackles and 57.5 sacks both rank in the top 15 all-time among defensive linemen in NFL history, according to the Raiders' account of his enshrinement[4](https://www.raiders.com/news/richard-seymour-enshrined-in-pro-football-hall-of-fame-class-of-2022-nfl).
A measure of his versatility comes from alignment data: of the 929 defensive linemen listed from 2001 to 2012, Seymour was one of just three to line up at right end, left end, right tackle, and left tackle[9](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/08/03/sports/richard-seymour-pro-football-hall-of-fame/?p1=Article_Inline_Related_Link). [Tom Brady](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-brady), his Patriots teammate, wrote to the Hall of Fame Selection Committee that for a coach who loves to utilize a player's versatility, Richard was the perfect Patriot[10](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/08/05/sports/richard-seymour-hall-of-fame/).
## Honors and Hall of Fame
Seymour was a multi-time finalist before his election. He was one of the 15 modern-era finalists for the Class of 2022, alongside fellow defensive linemen [Jared Allen](https://www.edgepedia.org/jared-allen) and Bryant Young, and was elected at NFL Honors in February 2022[11](https://as.com/us/us/2021/12/31/nfl/1640908379_190888.html) • [12](https://as.com/us/us/2022/02/11/nfl/1644552548_689354.html). In addition to the [Pro Football Hall of Fame](https://www.edgepedia.org/pro-football-hall-of-fame), he is a member of the Patriots 50th Anniversary Team, the Patriots All-2000s Team, and the Patriots Hall of Fame[6](https://www.patriotshalloffame.com/hall_of_famer/richard-seymour/) • [1](https://www.profootballhof.com/players/richard-seymour).
## Post-playing career
In 2024, NFL team owners approved Seymour's purchase of a minority stake in the [Las Vegas Raiders](https://www.edgepedia.org/las-vegas-raiders), making him, alongside former teammate Tom Brady, one of the former NFL players to become an owner; the AP counts Brady and Seymour as the fifth and sixth former players in that group, after George Halas Sr., Jerry Richardson, Warrick Dunn, and John Stallworth[13](https://apnews.com/article/76c5cffe387f28c21dd4eeb863005062).
## References
1. [Richard Seymour, Pro Football Hall of Fame](https://www.profootballhof.com/players/richard-seymour)
2. [Richard Seymour, Hall of Fame, Raiders.com](https://www.raiders.com/history/richard-seymour)
3. [Patriots trade DL Richard Seymour to Raiders, Patriots.com](https://www.patriots.com/news/patriots-trade-dl-richard-seymour-to-raiders-156131)
4. [Richard Seymour enshrined in Pro Football Hall of Fame, Raiders.com](https://www.raiders.com/news/richard-seymour-enshrined-in-pro-football-hall-of-fame-class-of-2022-nfl)
5. [South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame 2025 booklet](https://scahof.org/Portals/7/Images/SCAHoF_2025_booklet-web.pdf)
6. [Richard Seymour, The Patriots Hall of Fame](https://www.patriotshalloffame.com/hall_of_famer/richard-seymour/)
7. [Camp Preview: Defensive line, Patriots.com (2003)](https://www.patriots.com/news/camp-preview-defensive-line-165396)
8. [Richard Seymour Career Stats, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/richard-seymour/stats/career)
9. [Richard Seymour's impact went far beyond sack totals, The Boston Globe](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/08/03/sports/richard-seymour-pro-football-hall-of-fame/?p1=Article_Inline_Related_Link)
10. [If you saw Richard Seymour play, you know why he's headed to the Hall of Fame, The Boston Globe](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/08/05/sports/richard-seymour-hall-of-fame/)
11. [Finalistas del Pro Football Hall of Fame de 2022 son anunciados, AS](https://as.com/us/us/2021/12/31/nfl/1640908379_190888.html)
12. [NFL anuncia a los integrantes de la Clase 2022 del Pro Football Hall of Fame, AS](https://as.com/us/us/2022/02/11/nfl/1644552548_689354.html)
13. [Tom Brady's purchase of a minority stake in the Las Vegas Raiders is approved by NFL team owners, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/76c5cffe387f28c21dd4eeb863005062)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › Defensive tackles › Retired defensive tackles*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license