In April 2007, Brett Favre was preparing for what would be his final season with the Green Bay Packers and intently watching that spring's NFL Draft, hoping that general manager Ted Thompson would complete a trade with the Oakland Raiders for wide receiver Randy Moss. Three years later — and with a Minnesota Vikings uniform now on his back — Favre finally has his long-cherished target.
On the aforementioned draft day, the Raiders shipped Moss to the New England Patriots for a fourth-round pick. Moss and quarterback Tom Brady quickly became a match made in heaven as the receiver hauled in 98 receptions for 1,493 yards and an NFL-record 23 of his quarterback's own NFL-record 50 touchdowns in 2007.
Contrast that with the first four weeks of the 2010 season, during which Moss has posted only nine receptions for 139 yards. In Monday night's blowout victory over the Miami Dolphins, the Patriots put up 41 points and Brady completed 19 passes, but Moss didn't have a single catch.
As opposing teams have shielded Moss with their top cornerbacks, Brady has turned his focus to his other options, including All-Pro slot receiver Wes Welker and rookie tight end Aaron Hernandez. Hernandez, a fourth-round pick out of the University of Florida, has twice as many receptions as Moss and has shown excellent vertical ability for a tight end, averaging 13.3 yards per catch.
While Moss was putting up elite numbers, the Patriots were willing to look the other way on his character issues. Moss has been known to express his displeasure to coaches when he isn't featured in the game plan and to give up on routes when his team is behind. He reportedly had a shouting match with quarterback coach Bill O'Brien during halftime of Monday's win, and, less than 48 hours later, the Patriots decided they'd had enough.
Yesterday morning, the Patriots agreed to trade Moss and a seventh-round draft pick in 2012 to Minnesota in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2011 draft.
On the surface, the deal appears to be highway robbery for Vikings general manager Rick Spielman, especially since the Patriots likely would have been compensated with a fifth-round pick when Moss left New England in free agency next spring. But considering the Patriots' bounty of young targets and Moss's disgruntled attitude, coach Bill Belichick's logic is understandable.
For the Vikings, Moss represents an instant improvement to the passing attack, which has sputtered with the soon-to-be-41-year-old Favre at the helm. With last year's No. 1 receiver Sidney Rice nursing a hip injury, Favre has struggled to develop chemistry with speedsters Bernard Berrian and Percy Harvin, leaving tight end Visanthe Shiancoe as his only trusted target. Favre's six interceptions and lowly 60.4 quarterback rating have resulted in part from a lack of receivers who are able to run the deep routes he prefers to throw.
As fans at the Metrodome learned during the first seven years of his career there, "You can't overthrow Randy Moss." And Favre, who ranks 25th in the league with an average of 6.16 yards per passing attempt, will gladly welcome him to Minnesota.
Moss won't cure all of the Vikings' problems, which range from Favre's inaccuracy to a porous offensive line, but he will certainly add a missing dimension to their aerial attack. Minnesota is 1-2 and fresh off its Week 4 bye, but the Vikings have yet to face the NFC North-leading Chicago Bears and Packers, so there is plenty of time to make up lost ground.
The consequences of this trade will stretch beyond this season, though.
Patriots fans are rightly frustrated with their front office for sending away one of their team's brightest stars, potentially letting another year of Tom Brady's prime slip away. But the draft pick New England gained will enable Belichick and the brass to add to their stockpile of young players, as the Patriots already own Oakland's first-round pick and Carolina's second-rounder in the 2011 draft.
In addition, the loss of Moss will not immediately impact the Patriots as much as it would have if they did not have other All-Pro receivers on their roster, such as Wes Welker.
Meanwhile, the Vikings will do their best to court Moss into signing an extension, possibly one that will keep him in purple and gold until the end of his career.
One of the best receivers in NFL history will now join forces with one of the best quarterbacks the league has ever seen. If both of them rediscover the prowess they once had, Minnesota may yet finish the business it left undone in New Orleans in January.
