Randy Moss Trade: Wide Receiver Heading Back To Minnesota

ESPN, NFL Network, and the Boston Herald have all reported that the New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings have finalized the trade to send Randy Moss back to the Vikings.

Moss will be rejoining his ex-team which he last played for back in 2004 before he was traded to the Oakland Raiders.

In return for Moss, the Patriots acquire Minnesota's third round draft pick for this year's draft.

The 33-year-old receiver currently only has nine receptions and three touchdowns on the year and has been performing below standards so far in New England.

Moss will now hook up with future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, who has been lacking the deep threat receiver ever since Sidney Rice went down with an injury early this preseason. 

New England is really going to suffer now after trading away their lone deep threat. 

I do not see anyone else on the Patriots roster stretching the field the way Moss does.

With Moss missing, Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez, and the running game are going to suffer. 

Despite the lack of production, Moss has other teammates benefiting from him. Whenever Moss is split out, he is going to be double covered, which allows Welker and Hernandez to be matched up on defenders who aren't as good. Moss causes miss-matches, and now the opposing team's best defender will be covering Welker. 

New England just took a few steps backwards in my mind, and maybe this is just a "bridge year," using the term that Boston Red Sox general manager, Theo Epstein, used this past year.

And let me remind all New Englanders, a "bridge year" is something not to look forward to. 

This article was first seen on SportsHaze.

Tony Santorsa is Sports Haze's AFC East Beat Writer, and you could read more sports stories at www.SportsHaze.com

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