Richard Seymour

Did You Know?

• At Lower Richland High School in Hopkins, South Carolina, Seymour finished his senior season with 8 sacks and 83 tackles.
• Seymour finished 131st in the 2019 World Series of Poker main event and 284th in the 2023 World Series of Poker main event.
• In October 2024, Seymour purchased a 0.5% stake in ownership of the Las Vegas Raiders.

College career

Richard Seymour played college football at the University of Georgia from 1997 through 2000. He was one of four future first-round NFL draft picks on the Bulldogs' defensive line, alongside Marcus Stroud, Charles Grant, and Johnathan Sullivan. Seymour majored in housing and consumer economics and earned a varsity letter all four years. He appeared in 41 games, starting 25, and finished his college career with 223 total tackles, 106 of them solo, 9.5 sacks, 25.5 tackles for loss, and 35 quarterback pressures. He was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference pick in both 1999 and 2000, and as a senior he earned first-team All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.

As a freshman in 1997, Seymour played in nine games at right defensive tackle, making two tackles and one quarterback pressure. The following year, he appeared in every game and started four, finishing fourth on the team with 69 tackles, 32 solo, along with four sacks and 14 quarterback pressures. In 1999, his junior season, he started all 11 games at right defensive tackle and led the team with 74 tackles, 38 solo, including 10 tackles for loss, four sacks, and seven quarterback pressures.

He also intercepted a pass. That year, he was named SEC defensive player of the week after a 24-6 win over South Carolina, where he recorded six tackles, five solo, two sacks, three stops for minus 12 yards, and a pressure that led to an interception. As a senior, Seymour started 10 games at right defensive tackle, posting 78 tackles, 35 solo, a team-leading 10.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 13 quarterback pressures. He earned SEC player of the week honors for his performance against Tennessee.

Professional career

Seymour was drafted by the Patriots sixth overall in the 2001 NFL draft and signed a six-year, $14.3 million contract on July 24, 2001. In his rookie season, he played in 13 games, starting 10, and amassed three sacks mainly as a 4-3 defensive tackle. He missed the season opener and two late October games with a leg injury. In Super Bowl XXXVI, he started at defensive tackle and earned a Super Bowl ring.

In 2002, he started all 16 games at 4-3 defensive tackle, collecting 5.5 sacks and an interception en route to his first Pro Bowl appearance; he also blocked field goals in back-to-back November games against the Oakland Raiders and Minnesota Vikings. With the Patriots defense moving to a 3–4 in 2003, Seymour moved to defensive end and was named a defensive team captain. Despite missing a game against the Denver Broncos in October due to a leg injury, he finished with a career-high eight sacks and 57 tackles in 15 games.

He was twice named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after blocked field goals against the Miami Dolphins in week 7 and the Tennessee Titans in the divisional playoffs. The Patriots won Super Bowl XXXVIII. Seymour was elected to the 2004 Pro Bowl and was a first-team All-Pro selection. In 2004, he started all 15 games he played, but missed the final regular season and first two playoff games after injuring the MCL in his right knee in week 16.

He recorded his first touchdown on a 68-yard fumble return against the Buffalo Bills in week 4. His tackle and sack numbers dipped to 39 tackles and five sacks, but he was named to his third consecutive Pro Bowl and again first-team All-Pro. He earned his third Super Bowl win in Super Bowl XXXIX.