Patriots Don't Pass on Moss

Raiders Get Fourth-Round Pick; Browns, 49ers Have Big Weekend

Draft weekend is supposed to be about NFL teams unearthing the sport's young, new standouts. The New England Patriots instead turned to an established but fading star in a bid on the draft's second day to become the biggest winner of the weekend and the offseason, trading a fourth-round pick yesterday to the Oakland Raiders for wide receiver Randy Moss.

The Patriots joined the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers among the teams that did the most over the weekend to improve. The Browns got two of the players considered among the draft's top half-dozen or so prospects when they selected Wisconsin left tackle Joe Thomas with the third overall choice Saturday, then traded back up into the first round and landed Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn 22nd. The 49ers used a trade with the Patriots to get a second pick in the first round, and also obtained veteran wide receiver Darrell Jackson in a deal with the Seattle Seahawks.

But the Browns are simply trying to approach respectability, and the 49ers are attempting to get back into the playoffs. The Patriots are well beyond that, having won three Super Bowls since the pairing of Coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady. Now they're making a bold push to assemble a team capable of winning a fourth, and they're going about it in an uncharacteristic way. They've spent the offseason collecting players with big names and hefty price tags, and they upped the stakes even further yesterday.

Moss, who turned 30 in February, isn't the dominant player that he once was for the Minnesota Vikings. He has been slowed by injuries and too often has looked uninterested during games in recent seasons. But he still can put fear into opposing defenders when he's healthy and his energies are properly channeled, and his arrival could go a long way toward addressing the biggest need for a Patriots team that was undone last season by its deficiencies at wide receiver.

The Raiders had shopped Moss around the league for much of the offseason, and the Patriots and Green Bay Packers emerged as the leading bidders. It was thought that the Raiders were seeking a second-round choice, and when the second round ended Saturday night without a trade being completed it appeared that Moss might stay put. But the Patriots reportedly bettered their offer from a sixth-round selection to a fourth-rounder in recent days, and the deal was completed yesterday. Moss agreed to rework a contract that was to pay him $21 million over the next two seasons, $9.75 million next season and $11.25 million in 2008.

"I'm still overwhelmed and, at the same time, kind of star-struck that I'm part of this New England Patriots organization," he said in a conference call yesterday.

Moss spent two seasons with the Raiders after seven seasons with the Vikings, and has averaged 75 catches for 1,189 yards and 11 touchdowns per season. But he failed to reach 1,000 receiving yards in two of the past three seasons, and he had career lows of 42 catches for 553 yards and three touchdowns last season as the Raiders went 2-14. When new Raiders coach Lane Kiffin was asked about Moss at last month's league meeting in Phoenix, he acknowledged that what he saw of Moss on the tapes of the team's games was a bit unsettling.

"I saw a player that at times made some talented plays," Kiffin said then. "I saw a player that was not playing to a standard I'd like. But, again, I was not there. . . . He was frustrated. Sometimes that's not so bad. If Randy was okay [with losing], I don't know if that would have been the best."

Kiffin said then he thought that Moss most likely would be with the Raiders next season. And soon after the Raiders used the top selection in the draft Saturday on JaMarcus Russell, the Louisiana State quarterback said he was looking forward to working with Moss.

"It's going to be terrific," Russell said. "Watching him as a kid, the things he did -- he's still Randy Moss."

Instead, Moss will be part of the Patriots' Super Bowl push. According to a source familiar with the deliberations, the Patriots told Moss that they would get rid of him at the first sign of disruptive behavior and Moss agreed to renegotiate his contract because he thought he could win a Super Bowl with Brady in New England.

The Patriots have signed linebacker Adalius Thomas, cornerback Tory James, tight end Kyle Brady and wide receivers Donte Stallworth and Kelley Washington as free agents. They traded for Miami Dolphins wideout and kick returner Wes Welker. Belichick and front-office chief Scott Pioli built three Super Bowl-winning teams by searching for bargains in free agency and adding modestly paid, low-profile players who were willing to sacrifice for the greater good.

But the Patriots have gone two seasons without reaching a Super Bowl, and they perhaps have gotten impatient. They reached the AFC title game last season but lost in Indianapolis, and were hurt in that game by misplays by a receiving corps left shorthanded all season after Belichick and Pioli traded holdout Deion Branch to the Seahawks.

The Patriots' offseason additions have come while the Colts have lost tailback Dominic Rhodes, wide receiver Brandon Stokley, defensive tackle Montae Reagor, linebacker Cato June, safety Mike Doss and cornerbacks Nick Harper and Jason David. The Patriots and 49ers, who spent big money in free agency, have been the league's most aggressive shoppers this offseason. The 49ers, however, don't have Belichick and Brady around to increase the odds that the splashy maneuverings of March and April will translate into on-field celebrations in January and February.