FOXBORO — Richard Seymour has been sent a "five-day letter" by the Raiders, meaning he has five days from receipt of the letter to report to the team. If he doesn't, Oakland would have the right to place him on the roster/suspended list, meaning Seymour would be unable to play anywhere in 2009 and will not get paid.

The news was reported Thursday night by the CSNBayArea website. The report quoted Greg Papa, the radio play-by-play announcer for the team.

The veteran defensive end, traded earlier this week by the Patriots to Oakland for a No. 1 draft choice in 2011, has yet to report to the Raiders. If Oakland places him on the roster/suspended list, the team would retain his rights for 2010, which he would play under terms of his 2009 contract. Thus Seymour would not be eligible for free agency — which he currently can exercise at the end of the '09 season — until after the '10 season.

Papa said the Raiders' position, simply put, is: They want Seymour. According to Papa, it is unknown when the team sent the letter.

So this story takes another strange turn. New England has washed its hands of the situation and even the league office refuses to comment. If what Seymour wants most is his freedom from the Raiders, it seems he has little choice but to report and possibly hope he can persuade the team not to franchise him next year so that he can become a free agent.

It is believed the Seymours took their children out of their respective schools in Massachusetts on Wednesday, and wife Tanya and the three children were headed to the family's home in South Carolina.

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Before Kendall Simmons took to the practice field with his new team on Wednesday, it had been nearly a full year since he had last put on shoulder pads.

And on his first day on the job with the Patriots, he was trying to gain leverage in the trenches against Pro Bowl big body Vince Wilfork.

Welcome back to the NFL.

Simmons, the veteran offensive guard whom New England signed on Sunday, is thrilled to get another chance to play after missing the final 12 games of last season with a ruptured Achilles tendon and being released in February. As he rehabbed, he also missed the chance to be on the field for another Super Bowl with his former team, the Steelers, the club that had drafted him in the first round in 2002.

Back healthy, Simmons now has to get back into game shape.

"Running sprints and stuff, I can do that all day long," he said. "But when you have to push up against somebody that's 350 pounds, bigger than you, that's a different story. Hopefully, it won't take me more than a week or two, just to get close to where I'm not trying to find air every second."

Listed at 6-foot-3, 315 pounds, Simmons started each of the 88 games (including postseason) he played for Pittsburgh. Yet he feared that an Achilles injury would be seen as a career-ender, and waiting for the phone to ring once he knew he would be able to play again was difficult.

"You don't get a chance to show people that you're healthy. That was the frustrating part," Simmons said. "I knew where I was physically and I knew I could still do it, but it wasn't there. And the Lord taught me a little bit of patience: it will happen when I decide, you just have to sit back and keep doing what you're doing and enjoy your family for the time being, and it did. Everything started picking up this past week."

First, Simmons was called to Buffalo to work out for the Bills, but then he got a phone call from Bill Belichick, telling him not to sign with the Bills until he came to work out for New England, and then he could make his decision.

That Belichick would show interest given what Simmons sees as a solid offensive line already in place with New England surprised him; that the Patriots offered a three-year contract helped make up his mind.

Newly signed offensive lineman Kendall Simmons talked quite a bit to his friend and former Auburn teammate, ex-Patriot fullback Heath Evans, about like in New England.

"I got a lot of information from him during the offseason. It's all about business, they're going to get on you, ride you, but then they'll love on you at the same time," he said. "You have to be about business, no messing around, and I like that. That's what I saw from [coach Bill Belichick] on TV, and that's what I've seen since I've been here."

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Another new Patriot, tight end Michael Matthews, traded to New England by the Giants on Saturday, has realized he'll have to do a little redecorating now that he's on a new team.

"It's quite funny because at home I have my little Super Bowl shrine, your little memories from that game, and I've got a picture hanging up of me blocking Adalius (Thomas), so now I'm probably going to take the picture down because I'm a Patriot," he said.

Matthews, a blocking tight end who went undrafted out of Georgia Tech in 2007, said the trade was "shocking," but is excited to still have a job that enables him to provide for his family.

"I'm excited to be here, I'm excited to contribute to the team," he said. "Team first; that's how it was with the Giants, and that's the same thing it is here."

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New England released its first injury report of the season, and it listed 11 players. The report revealed that Wes Welker has been dealing with a knee injury; his participation in Thursday's practice was limited, as were Sammy Morris (finger), Shawn Springs (knee), Julian Edelman (ankle), Terrence Wheatley (knee), Myron Pryor (calf) and Dan Connolly (back). Matthew Slater (left arm) did not practice while Tom Brady (right shoulder), Benjamin Watson (hamstring) and Bret Lockett (chest) all had full participation.

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• The Patriots are encouraging fans to leave early, carpool, or take public transportation for Monday night's season opener, as well as park in the P10 and P11 lots. An MBTA train will depart Providence at 5 p.m. on Monday, stopping in South Attleboro, Attleboro and Mansfield before pulling into the Gillette platform; the train will depart approximately 30 minutes after the game's conclusion.

• Speaking on WEEI radio Thursday afternoon, former Patriot turned broadcaster Rodney Harrison had some words for loudmouth Buffalo receiver Terrell Owens: "He's a clown. He's all about the circus show and the cameras. But you better believe he'll have Shawn Springs in his grill and Brandon Meriweather putting his helmet down his throat. So I'm excited about seeing that on Monday."

• Seymour jerseys are being sold for 75 percent off in the Patriots' Pro Shop, including red throwbacks made for this 50th anniversary season.

smanza@projo.com