Richard Seymour becomes the Patriots’ 10th Pro Football Hall of Famer

“Patriot Nation, we have another in Canton,” proclaimed Richard Seymour from the stage during the 2022 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony.

One of eight men to enter the game’s hallowed halls on Saturday, Seymour is now the latest Hall of Famer with ties to the New England Patriots. A first-round draft pick by the organization in 2001, he spent the first eight years of his career as a Patriot and along the way helped the team win three Super Bowls.

Even though he eventually retired a member of the Oakland Raiders, Seymour will forever be linked to New England. Now, he has become the team’s 10th member to be enshrined into the Hall of Fame; the other nine are the following:

LB Nick Buoniconti (2001): Buoniconti earned a pair of Super Bowl rings in Miami, but his performance as a member of the then-Boston Patriots in the 1960s helped him lay the foundation for a Hall of Fame career. The late linebacker appeared in a combined 92 games for the team between 1962 and 1968, earning either first- or second-team All-AFL honors in each of them.

G John Hannah (1991): Famously dubbed “the best offensive lineman of all time” by Sports Illustrated in 1981, Hannah was indeed as good a blocker as any the NFL has ever seen. During his 13-year career with the Patriots he was a key member of some of the league’s best rushing teams while proving himself one of its most physical players. All in all, he appeared in 190 regular season and playoff games between 1973 and 1985.

CB Mike Haynes (1997): A first-round draft pick in 1976, Haynes spent the first seven years of his career in New England before finding additional success during another seven-year stint in Oakland. His time with the Patriots saw Haynes appear in 93 games, earn six Pro Bowl nods, and eventually be voted to the team’s own Hall of Fame.

CB Ty Law (2019): The first member of the Patriots’ Dynasty 1.0 to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Law was one of the best cornerbacks in football during his time as a Patriot. Before ending his career in New York, Kansas City and Denver, he won three Super Bowls in New England and earned four Pro Bowl nominations as well as a spot on the NFL’s All-Decade Tam for the 2000s.

RB Curtis Martin (2012)*: A majority of Martin’s success happened as a member of the New York Jets, but he did start his career as a Patriots. Between 1995 and 1997, the third-round draft pick appeared in 48 games for the club and earned NFL Rookie of the Year honors. He left the team after his third season to reunite with former head coach Bill Parcells.

WR Randy Moss (2018)*: Arguably the most talented wide receiver in NFL history, Moss joined the Patriots in 2007 after a disappointing two-year stint in Oakland. He was able to revive his career, and then some: Moss appeared in 56 games for the team over three-plus seasons and earned himself a spot among the most productive pass catchers in franchise history.

HC Bill Parcells (2013)*: The aforementioned Bill Parcells had won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants before retiring from coaching after the 1990s season. Three years later, he was back on the sideline with the Patriots — a team he would lead for four years before his controversial departure to New York. Nonetheless, his presence was a positive one for the once-moribund club; New England reached the playoffs twice under his leadership.

LB Junior Seau (2015)*: Seau already had a Hall of Fame-worthy résumé when he decided to come out of retirement to join the Patriots in 2006. He spent parts of the next four seasons in New England, appearing in 42 games. In the grand scheme of things, his time with the team was but an encore to an already legendary career that had started back in 1990.

LB Andre Tippett (2008): The Patriots’ all-time sack leader spent his entire 12-year career with the organization. Between 1982 and 1993, Tippett appeared in 157 games and despite being part of some of the worst teams in franchise history his last few seasons, he was as consistent and productive a player as any in the NFL. As a result, he earned five Pro Bowl nods and became a member of the Patriots’ Teams of the 1980s and 1990s.

*spent majority of his career elsewhere

There are others in the Hall of Fame with connections to the Patriots as well. However, neither John Lynch nor Raymond Berry made it due to their contributions to New England: Lynch was an offseason member only, while Berry had already made the Hall of Fame as a player before joining the team as its head coach.

Of course, over the next few years others will join the list above — from team owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick, to quarterback Tom Brady, tight end Rob Gronkowski and kicker Adam Vinatieri.