Moss headed to Minnesota

10/7/2010

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. - Brett Favre finally got his wish. He will be playing with Randy Moss and the Vikings couldn't be happier about it.

The Super-Bowl-or-bust Vikings got Moss from New England Wednesday for a 2011 draft pick, another eye-opening acquisition that comes just in time to rejuvenate a stagnant offense for a challenging stretch of games.

The Patriots gave the seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver the exit he expected and sent him back to the team that turned him into a superstar after drafting him in the first round in 1998.

There are still plenty of fond memories around here of Moss's electrifying performances, along with his colorful comments and contrarian behavior.

"He can still go downtown and get the football, which is a stand-alone factor," Vikings coach Brad Childress said. "He could sprain his toe here sometime coming up, and you could say that he's 33, it's old age. But there's always risk-reward. I don't necessarily see this as boom or bust. I think he's got some more football in him."

The Vikings play at New York on Monday night, and Childress said without hesitation Moss would be in uniform against the Jets'

"In this business, there are complex and often difficult decisions, but it is my responsibility to make them based on what I feel is best for our football team, in both the short term and long term," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "I am grateful for the opportunity to have coached Randy Moss and aside from facing him as an opponent, I wish him the very best for the remainder of his Hall of Fame career."

Moss spent his first seven seasons in Minnesota, where he set all kinds of records and became one of the most exciting playmakers in the league. He burned Favre's Packers often, racking up 9,142 yards and 90 touchdowns during his first stint with Minnesota and fueling a run to NFC title game appearances following the 1998 and 2000 seasons.

Tired of his attitude and wary of a hamstring injury that hampered him in the 2004 season, the Vikings traded Moss to Oakland in 2005. He wore out his welcome there and the Raiders sent him to New England in 2007. Favre was frustrated at the time the Packers didn't land Moss; they discussed a trade with Oakland.

The Vikings in exchange will give the Patriots their third-round draft pick in 2011 and get a seventh-rounder from New England in 2012, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations, speaking on condition of anonymity because the teams did not disclose terms of the deal.

Childress said Moss has a clean slate in Minnesota. "I'm just satisfied to judge him, not backward, but judge him going forward and what he does with us here.