Bruce Irvin bids farewell to Seattle, looks to help 'bring a ship' to Oakland

At some point today, Bruce Irvin is expected to be officially announced as an Oakland Raider. Irvin got ahead of that news, when he took to Instagram to send a message to his now former teammates in Seattle and to look to his future with the Raiders.

"[To] my brothers of the 2012 draft class what we did by coming in and changing this organization and city when everyone had something negative to say about us will probably never be done again," Irvin wrote. "We all for the most part won't ever play together again but the relationships we made are forever and the memories will forever b talked about when [we] are old men.

"To a city and fan base that embraced me when everyone considered me a reach I appreciate you and I will love [you] forever. Mr [Paul] Allen Pete [Carrol] and John [Schneider] thank u for the chance to play for such a great city and a group of men who I consider my lifetime brothers now.

"I know some may not understand the decision but this window of opportunity is so small that you have to make the best decision for you and your family. 12'sssss I thank you and I love you. One of the best fan bases in sports today u will be missed! I'm looking forward to my new chapter and helping the city of Oakland bring a ship there!"

For those who don't know, 'ship' is short for 'championship'. He was part of the Seahawks Super Bowl Championship team in 2013 along with current Raiders Malcolm Smith and defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr.