RaiderBeat.com Staff Report

Defensive lineman Richard Seymour is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent Mar. 5. If it reaches that point, he said he is interested in playing for any of 31 teams in the NFL.

The Raiders are among those 31 teams on Seymour’s list. The lone team he won’t consider signing with is the one that drafted him in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots.

“There’s probably about 31 teams I’d consider going to,” Seymour said in an interview with Comcast Sports on Tuesday.

As for the Patriots being among those teams, Seymour said: ”That isn’t something I’m looking to do at all. But there’s no ill will. I wish them the best. I really mean that. I think it could have ended in a more respectful way, but that’s just my personal opinion.”

The Patriots traded Seymour to the Raiders for a 2011 first-round draft pick a little more than a week before the 2009 season started. Seymour said he was blindsided by the move and lost respect for coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots for the way they handled the matter.

Seymour joined the Raiders in the final season of his contract. Therefore, he is on the hook for a huge payday. The Raiders have three options: One, they can sign Seymour to a huge contract extension; two, they can place a one-year, franchise tender on him; or they can let him enter free agency.

It’s likely that the Raiders will do one of the first two options. If they can’t reach agreement on a long-term contract, then they most certainly would slap the franchise tag on Seymour, for fear of losing him after only one season at the steep cost of a first-round draft pick.

To listen to the entire interview, click on this link: http://www.csnne.com/pages/landing_patriots?Seymour-talks-about-Pats-says-he-wont-re=1&blockID=115786&feedID=3946