Seymour, who was traded Sunday for a first-round draft pick in 2011, but had yet to join the Raiders, was due to board a flight to Oakland on Saturday, according to the report.
When Seymour did not show nearly a week after the trade, the Raiders on Friday sent him a five-day letter, stipulating that he report within five days or be suspended for the entire season and forfeit his $3.685 million salary.
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Seymour said he made no contract demands as a condition of his joining the Raiders, but needed time to settle personal issues first, including where his family would live during the season, according to the report. He said he has been in contact with Raiders owner Al Davis and coach Tom Cable since the trade.
"I didn't demand anything to go there," he said, according to the report. "I'm happy to go there, and I told them that. But me and my family have never been separated. This was a difficult transition."
According to the report, Seymour, 30, learned he had been traded via a phone call from Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
"First of all, I was blindsided by this whole event," Seymour said, according to the Herald. "When you get blindsided, you should take a moment to gather your thoughts. I have a lot of personal issues more pressing than football."
Those issues, according to the report, were arranging for his wife and four children to move back to his home state of South Carolina, while he plans to live alone in Oakland during the season. Seymour is also the legal guardian of a 15-year-old cousin who was starting high school in Massachusetts.
Seymour plans to play in the Raiders' season opener on "Monday Night Football" against the San Diego Chargers. "I'll be the guy on top of the quarterback," he said, according to the report.
Seymour has been a stalwart in New England since being drafted sixth overall in 2001. He played on three Super Bowl winners with the Patriots, recording 39 career sacks and being selected to the Pro Bowl for five straight seasons beginning in 2002.
The Raiders were looking to upgrade a run defense that was the worst in the league during the exhibition season and has been the worst over the past six seasons. Since going to the Super Bowl following the 2002 season, Oakland has had the worst run defense in the NFL, allowing 141.7 yards per game on the ground and 122 touchdowns rushing.
"There are a lot of different emotions," Seymour said, according to the Herald. "Football was not my main concern at that point. I have had discussions with the Raiders. ... I'm excited and happy with the way they're looking at me."
Cable is expected to address Seymour's pending arrival after practice Saturday.
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