POSTED 8:08 a.m. EST; UPDATED 8:21 a.m. EST, March 5, 2007
MOSS TO PATS TALK INCREASES
We've mentioned a couple of times over the past few days that the New England Patriots are an under-the-radar candidate for Raiders receiver Randy Moss.
Well, they were under the radar.
John Tomase of the Boston Herald confirms that the Pats have shown interest in acquiring Moss. Per Tomase, coach Bill Belichick has "long been enamored" with Moss and would welcome the opportunity to bring him to New England at the right price.
The key phrase here is "at the right price." Under his current deal, Moss is scheduled to earn $9.75 million in 2007 and $11.25 million in 2008. And with his current abilities tough to gauge through the haze of general crappiness that has been the Oakland offense of late, there's no way that the Patriots could justify devoting nearly eight figures of cap space to him.
The alternative is to convert as much of his salary as possible to a signing bonus, which would reduce the cap number but at the same time limit the team's options if he comes into camp and Belichick decides that he simply doesn't have it anymore. Though his salary is high, it can all be avoided if he's cut before the start of the regular season.
And don't rule out the possibility that the Pats are merely faking interest in Moss. Such an approach might prompt a division rival (such as the Dolphins) to jump into the bidding and give up too much to get him. Likewise, a belief that the Pats want Moss could drive down the price tag for any other free-agent receivers in which they might be interested.
Our gut feeling on this one? If the Patriots could get him through a trade and a contract that is fair, they'd do it. For proof of it, look no further than the depth chart at the position, which currently has the names "Reche Caldwell" and "Jabar Gaffney" at the top of the list.
