A Raiders coach said last week at the NFL scouting combine that Tommy Kelly was poised to receive "Richard Seymour money" because owner Al Davis would make sure Kelly remained with Oakland by paying him like New England's All-Pro.
Kelly now is in Seymour's financial neighborhood.
Kelly, who would have become an unrestricted free agent at 9:01 p.m. Pacific time Thursday, signed a seven-year deal worth $50.5 million, with more than $18 million guaranteed. It's the richest deal in NFL history for a defensive tackle and quite a haul for a player who has never been to a Pro Bowl.
Kelly is a four-year veteran whose 2007 season ended with a torn anterior cruciate ligament after seven games. The 6-foot-6, 300-pound lineman will be asked to fill the void at defensive tackle caused by Warren Sapp's retirement.
For his career, Kelly has 163 tackles and 13 sacks – hardly eye-popping numbers. But Davis wanted to keep Kelly from going to the open market, hence the lucrative deal. Denver, New Orleans and the New York Jets were among teams expected to pursue Kelly.
With Tennessee's Albert Haynesworth and Green Bay's Corey Williams franchised, Kelly, 27, would have been one of the more highly regarded free agents, even though he underwent knee surgery Oct. 31.
Undrafted out of Mississippi State, Kelly led the Raiders with four sacks in 2004. He started at defensive end last year and played at defensive tackle in passing situations. His blocked field goal against Cleveland in Week 3 secured the Raiders' first win of 2007.
Read Jason Jones' Raiders blog at www.sacbee.com/blogs.
