In a surprising move, five time Pro Bowler Richard Seymour was traded to the Oakland Raiders for a 2011 first round pick. This move is said to be a financial decision for the Patriots, which would be the only logical reason for the deal to be executed. Seymour is going to turn 30 and is in the final year of his contract, so the Patriots are looking to get young and cheaper. The Raiders are fortunate to get one of the best defensive linemen in the league to improve a struggling defense.

Seymour greatly improves this team and, even though they lose a future first rounder, should be worth it in making this team better. What’s so great about Seymour is that he helps improve the pass defense with his ability to get to the quarterback as well as the run defense. The pass defense is already impressive, finishing tenth in yards allowed and interceptions and thirteenth is sacks last season. However, the run defense really hurt them, allowing the second most rushing yards in the league. The Raiders still won’t be in the playoff hunt this year, but their future is looking brighter.

The real question is how this will affect the Patriots. This Patriots defense looks a lot different than the one that won three Super Bowls. Outside linebacker Mike Vrabel was traded to Kansas City this summer while inside linebacker Tedy Bruschi and strong safety Rodney Harrison retired. But knowing the Patriots, they will still be a great defense and should still be one of the top teams in the league.

The Patriots have traded 31-year old C/G Ross Hochstein to the Broncos for a 7th round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.  Hochstein played in 15 games (2 starts) for the Patriots last season.  In 7 years with the Patriots, Hochstein appeared in 91 games (20 starts).  It appears that the Patriots love trading with ex-executives and coaches which has given them quite a few extra draft picks for next year.  This was a good trade for both teams.

The Patriots have traded 27-year old DT LeKevin Smith and a 7th round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft to the Broncos for a fifth round pick in the 2010 Draft.  Smith played in 15 games (0 starts) for the Patriots last season and he made 14 tackles.  In three seasons with the Patriots, Smith played in 41 games (0 starts) and he made 18 tackles.  This was a good move for the Patriots as Smith isn’t much of a player.

The Patriots have acquired 31-year old OLB/DE Derrick Burgess from the Raiders for a 3rd and 5th round pick 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.  He has now played in 85 games over his seven year NFL career and he has made 227 tackles, has defensed 7 passes, had 47 sacks and he has forced 5 fumbles.  This is exactly the kind of player the Patriots love and this will likely wind up being a good trade for them.

The Patriots have traded a 5th round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft for TE Alex Smith.  Smith is only 26 years old and he’s 6’4″, 258 pounds.  He’s a decent receiving TE who wasn’t used right in Tampa.  Smith played in 14 games last season for the Bucs and he caught 21 passes for 250 yards (11.9 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  In 4 seasons with the Bucs, Smith played in 58 games and he caught 129 passes for 1,252 yards (9.7 avg) with 11 TD grabs.  This was another master stroke by Bill Belichick and company as Smith should fit right in to the offense in 2009.

The drafting of CB Darius Butler and WR/KR Brandon Tate allowed the Patriots to trade cornerback Ellis Hobbs to the Eagles for a pair of 5th round picks in the 2009 NFL Draft.  Hobbs played in all 16 games for the Patriots last season and he made 47 tackles, defensed 11 passes, had 1.5 sacks and he picked off three passes.  Hobbs also returned 45 kickoffs for 1,281 yards (28.5 avg) with 1 TD return.  Hobbs played 4 seasons with the Patriots appearing in 63 games in which he made 198 tackles, defensed 41 passes, had 2.5 sacks, forced 1 fumble and he intercepted 9 passes.  He also returned 105 kickoffs for 2,913 yards (27.7 avg) with 3 TD returns.  Hobbs was a good all-around player for the Patriots so they better hope that Butler and Tate are ready to step up as rookies.

The Patriots have acquired 29-year old WR Greg Lewis and a undisclosed 2010 draft pick for a 5th round pick in the 2009 draft.  Lewis played in all 16 games for the Eagles last season and he caught 19 passes for 247 yards (13.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has now played in 90 games in his NFL career and he has caught 127 passes for 1,699 yards (13.4 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  Lewis will be the front runner to replace Jabar Gaffney as the #3 WR in 2009 so this was a small price for the Patriots to pay.

The Patriots have included 26-year old QB Matt Cassel in the Mike Vrabel trade with the Chiefs and in return they have acquired the #34 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft (2nd rounder).  Cassel really shined last season filling in for a injured Tom Brady.  He played in all 16 games in which he completed 327 of 516 passes (63.4%) for 3,693 yards with 21 TD passes and 11 interceptions (89.4 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 73 times for 270 yards (3.7 ypc) with 2 TD runs last year.  In 30 career games with the Patriots, Cassel completed 349 of 555 passes (62.9%) for 3,946 yards with 23 TD passes and 13 interceptions (88.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the football 85 times for 298 yards (3.5 ypc) with 3 TD runs for the Patriots in his career.  Look for the Patriots to think about bringing in a veteran backup QB for Brady as 2nd year man Kevin O’Connell would be the backup if the season started today.