New England Patriots Should Reach Out To Richard Seymour

John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has no choice but to search the open market for a defensive tackle after the injury to Vince Wilfork. It will be hard and it might not work, but Belichick should definitely try and call in his old buddy, defensive tackle Richard Seymour.

Seymour is currently out of football, which is puzzling because he was still a good player as of last season. However, Seymour did miss eight games in 2012 due to a hamstring injury. Plus, he’s going to be 34 on October 6. Reporters have said that Seymour has been asking for too much money considering his age and injury history, which has led to an apparent lack of interest in him. But make no mistake, Seymour was still one of better defensive tackles in the NFL prior to injury. He is a ferocious interior pass rusher and possesses awesome size at 6-foot-6, 310 pounds. In other words, Seymour is pretty much exactly like current Patriots defensive tackle Tommy Kelly.

There’s an elephant in the room that has yet to be addressed. Seymour was traded by Belichick right before the 2009 season. Apparently the embattled defensive tackle wanted a long-term contract, and Belichick didn’t want to give it to him. So instead, the ever-cunning head coach/general manager got a first-round pick out of late Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis. Seymour was not too happy with the trade and was unwilling to negotiate with Belichick when the big man became a free agent a couple of years ago.

But now things have changed. They say that time heals all wounds. Belichick would do well to try to kiss and make up with Seymour by offering him a one-year contract with incentives based on playing time. One would think that Seymour still wants to play football and that his best chance of continuing to do so is to sign up with his former head coach. The adjustment period would be quick, and we could see Seymour on the field in a few weeks. That way Belichick gets a replacement for Wilfork, and Seymour gets another chance to play football.

Philip Alexander is a New England Patriots writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @steely0906, “like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.