The Oakland Raiders traded their 2011 first round draft pick to the New England Patriots for defensive lineman Richard Seymour.  The trade was announced on Sunday, however the five-time Pro Bowl lineman has yet to show up in Oakland and the deal has not been finalized.  Seymour has apparantly told Raiders’ coach Tom Cable that he wants to play in Oakland but needs to work things out with the Patriots first.  It doesn’t look like Seymour is being honest, because who really wants to play for the Raiders these days?  Seymour, who will turn 30 this year, is going from the most successful franchise of the last decade to the least successful. 

The Raiders do need help with stopping the run, as they had the worst run defense this preseason, and although Seymour is one of the best run stoppers in the league, he is aging and will be a free agent after the season.  So, this trade isn’t really looking like a good move by the Raiders.  That 2011 draft pick they are giving up will most likely be a top 10 pick and Seymour probably won’t want to stay in Oakland after this season (that is even if this trade is official).

The Raiders have traded 31-year old OLB/DE Derrick Burgess to the New England Patriots for 3rd and 5th round picks in the 2011 NFL Draft.  Burgess played in 10 games for the Raiders last season and he made 24 tackles, defensed 2 passes, had 3.5 sacks and he forced 1 fumble.  In 4 years with the Raiders, Burgess played in 56 games in which he made 170 tackles, defensed 3 passes, had 38.5 sacks and he forced 5 fumbles.  The Raiders figured that Burgess was on the downslope of his career.  If they are right this was a good trade.

The Raiders have acquired 24-year old center Samson Satele from the Dolphins for a 6th round pick in next April’s NFL Draft.  The Raiders will also swap picks in another round with the Dolphins.  Satele is 6′3″, 300 pounds and he’s been a starter in the NFL since Day #1.  He has started all 32 games in his 2-year NFL career with the Dolphins.  This was another good move for the Raiders who are attempting to build a offensive line.

The Oakland Raiders have traded cornerback Fabian Washington to the Baltimore Ravens for a 4th round pick in this year’s NFL Draft.  Washington played in 15 games (3 starts) for the Raiders last year and he made 40 tackles, defensed 8 passes and he had 1 interception.  Washington played 3 seasons for the Raiders and he made 123 tackles, defensed 24 passes and he intercepted 5 passes.  This was a good move for the Raiders as Washington wasn’t going to get much playing time this season if he stayed with them.