Richard Seymour Is Ready to Play

Richard Seymour's twisted, tortured road to Oakland appeared to smooth on Saturday when the former New England Patriots defensive end said he is making his way to the Raiders' Alameda training headquarters.

"I'll be the one on top of the quarterback," Seymour told the Boston Herald, indicating he plans to play in the Raiders' season opener Monday night againt the San Diego Chargers at the Oakland Coliseum.

As for his reluctance to report to Alameda to take his physical, the final step in completing his trade to Oakland in exchange for a 2011 first-round draft pick, Seymour, 29, said he was struggling to come to terms with the sudden change of employment.

"First of all, I was blindsided by this whole event," Seymour said. "When you get blindsided, you should take a moment to gather your thoughts. I have a lot of pressing issues more important than football."

Foremost among them, Seymour said, was relocating his wife, children and a 15-year-old cousin for whom he serves as guardian to the family's offseason home in South Carolina.

"There are a lot of different emotions," Seymour told the Herald, adding that he has maintained contact with Raiders owner Al Davis and head coach Tom Cable. "Football was not my main concern at that point. I have had discussions with the Raiders ... I am excited and happy with the way they're looking at me."

Seymour said there have been discussions about a contract extension -- he is entering the final year of a deal that will pay him $3.685 million this season -- but that he has made no specific demands of the Raiders.

At the same time, Seymour confirmed that the NFL Players Association is now getting involved in one of the NFL's most bizarre trades.

"But that's more of a procedural thing," Seymour said.

The player's union has filed a grievance on Seymour's behalf, the Boston Globe reported via a source, claiming the Raiders could not serve the defensive end a "five-day" letter demanding that he report by Tuesday or risk being suspended for the entire 2009 season because he technically is not employed by the franchise.

Players must pass that physical in order for a trade to be completed. If a player refuses to comply, he is considered to have failed the physical and must answer to the consequences.

In Alameda, where there is no such thing as a quiet, normal NFL work week, Raiders players seemed to lose hope that the recalcitrant Seymour, a five-time Pro Bowler, would be available to bolster their run-challenged 4-3 defensive front in time for the Chargers' opener.

"We come in hoping to see him here and then we're promptly disappointed," Pro Bowl cornerback and team leader Nnamdi Asomugha said.

Realistically, how much of a contribution could a late-arriving Seymour really make on Monday night, as he undergoes an attitude adjustment and a one-day transition from his familiar 3-4 scheme to a 4-3 front that finished 31st in the NFL against the run in 2008?

Former Patriots teammate Rodney Harrison has said Seymour was unhappy about the trade, which sends him from a team that has posted a 77-19 mark the past six seasons to a franchise that has an NFL-worst 24-72 record in that span. In 2008, Oakland became the first NFL team to lose at least 11 games in six consecutive seasons.

"Who would be thrilled to go to the Oakland Raiders?" Harrison told Pro Football Talk.

Now, it appears Seymour either has re-evaluated his lack of leverage in this trade. Had he refused to report, Seymour would have forfeited his entire 2009 salary along with his right to become an unrestrictred free agent in 2010, which could be a lucrative uncapped year.