Randy Moss Trade: What It Means for Brett Favre, Vikings and Patriots
The New England Patriots are trading wide receiver Randy Moss to the Minnesota Vikings Wednesday, according to multiple sources around the league.
The Patriots are receiving a third round pick for the star wideout, who began his career in Minnesota before departing to play for the Oakland Raiders.
Moss' somewhat shocking departure from New England has caused shockwaves to ripple through the chances of multiple teams and players in 2010, and will have ramifications throughout the league. There are 20 teams, players, or races that have been impacted by the trade.
20. Vincent Jackson
1 of 20
How He's Affected: The Chargers' wide receiver appeared headed to Minnesota at various points this season, but with the Vikings' trade for Moss, Jackson appears to be staying put for the time being. While there are other suitors for the talented, but disgruntled wide receiver, the Vikings would have been Jackson's first choice. With them out of the running, he'll have to settle on going elsewhere if he wants to leave San Diego.
19. The San Diego Chargers
2 of 20
How They're Affected: The Chargers wanted a second and third-round pick for their star wideout, but if a receiver of equal quality who wanted to stay in New England was dealt for only a third round pick, San Diego's going to have to settle.
The bar has been set in the market, and now the Chargers are going to have to shoot for that, rather than try and get what Jackson might actually be worth. It may not be fair, but it's the way things will probably break down.
18. The Seattle Seahawks
3 of 20
How They're Affected: The Seahawks have been in the market for a wideout all season long. They've made several offers to the Chargers for Jackson, but each has been rebuffed as being insufficient. With another team out of the bidding war for San Diego's wideout, Seattle's bid looks a lot better compared to nothing.
If the Seahawks can acquire Jackson along with running back Marshawn Lynch, they could see themselves vault to the top of the heap in the NFC West.
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17. Rick Spielman
4 of 20
How He's Affected: Spielman is the general manager of the Vikings who orchestrated this trade. Spielman has been trying to find a star-caliber wideout since Sidney Rice went out for the first six weeks of the season after hip surgery, and he certainly got one in Moss.
Spielman had been interested in the Chargers' Vincent Jackson, but decided on Moss because the price tag was less than what San Diego wanted for Jackson.
If Moss plays to his potential, this will be a steal for Spielman, and one that will benefit his legacy in Minnesota. If he doesn't, Spielman assumes little of the blame because of the cheap price tag affixed to the New England receiver.
16. Brad Childress
5 of 20
How He's Affected: At first, the trade looks like it would benefit Vikings head coach Brad Childress. After all, Moss is still one of the game's most dangerous receivers, even at age 33.
But if you look a little deeper, you see that the addition of Moss heaps the pressure on Childress to coach this team to victory. With three talented wideouts, the quarterback you wanted, a defense that is one of the league's best, and one of the best running backs in the NFL, you almost have to win the Super Bowl.
If the Vikings' early season struggles continue once Moss arrives, expect Childress to be in some hot water.
15. The Green Bay Packers
6 of 20
How They're Affected: The Packers's place as NFC North favorites is in serious jeopardy. With the Moss trade, the Vikings offense becomes one of the NFL's best, balanced, and powerful.
Green Bay's offense was one of the league's most balanced, until running back Ryan Grant went down for the season and the Packers opted not to pursue Buffalo's Marshawn Lynch. Now, with that glaring hole in their offense, Green Bay has to prove they made the right decision not pursuing Lynch, and the only way to do that is to win the division without him.
14. The NFC North Race
7 of 20
How It's Affected: With this trade, the Vikings have to be considered favorites to win the NFC North in 2010, 1-2 start or not. They have a fantastic defense, and an offense that is now three deep in talented wideouts with Randy Moss there (once Sidney Rice returns).
No other team in the NFC North is as talented as Minnesota now, with the possible exception of Green Bay. For that reason, the Vikings have vaulted into the favorite position in their division.
13. Bill Belichick
8 of 20
How He's Affected: As coach and general manager of the Patriots, Belichick has not been afraid to make gutsy moves before. But this one might just take the cake.
With Moss, Belichick's squad was 3-1, and looking to contend in the AFC East. Now? Who knows what will happen?
By trading his most talented wideout for such a low price, Belichick has kicked the pressure on himself and his team up a notch. If they fail, and Minnesota succeeds, this trade will be seen as the reason why. If they continue their success, and Minnesota or Moss struggles, Belichick will once again be called genius.
For now though, this high-risk move has the jury out.
12. The New York Jets
9 of 20
How They're Affected: Before the Moss trade, the Jets and Patriots were seen as 1a and 1b in the AFC East. They both had talent on both sides of the ball and the drive to win the division.
Now? With Moss gone and Santonio Holmes returning in New York, Rex Ryan's team has to be considered the favorites to win the division. The Pats still have talent, sure, but the Jets run deep at wideout and running back, and have an excellent defense. This benefits the Jets more than anyone but Minnesota.
11. The AFC East Race
10 of 20
How It's Affected: With Randy Moss gone from New England, the AFC East is even more wide open than it was before the trade took place. Suddenly, Miami isn't out of the race, despite its 0-2 record in the division. New England aren't locks for the playoffs anymore. Can the Patriots win the AFC East? Sure. But with this trade, everyone else suddenly has an excellent shot.
10. Adrian Peterson
11 of 20
How He's Affected: Adrian Peterson is one of the top three running backs in the NFL. He's explosive, powerful, and seems to have stopped fumbling the football.
At first, the acquisition of Moss seems to be a damper to Peterson's carries. With more mouths to feed in the passing game, Peterson logically can't get the same number of carries, so his production will suffer.
While that's true to an extent, Moss actually helps Peterson. With Randy on the field, defenses have to be mindful of the pass, and can't crowd the box. As those running lanes open up, Peterson can go crazy. In other words, don't be surprised to see his big plays and yards-per-carry improve with this trade.
9. The New England Patriots Offense
12 of 20
How They're Affected: You cannot lose a talent like Moss and not have questions appear about your offense. It's inevitable. And odds are good that the Patriots will see their offensive numbers slip a bit.
But, look again. Moss hadn't done all that much in the passing game in 2010, and the team was still having little to no trouble passing the football. Wes Welker is the NFL's best receiver in the flat, Julian Edelman is turning into a dangerous pass catching threat, and rookie Brandon Tate looks like a star in the making.
But, the pressure to perform has been kicked up a notch for everyone on the offensive side of the ball. Without the safety net of Moss, everyone has to play well.
8. The Minnesota Vikings Offense
13 of 20
How They're Affected: With the acquisition of Moss, the Vikings immediately become a better offense. When Sidney Rice returns, they will be one of the best units in all of football. With three wide receivers to throw to, tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, and running back Adrian Peterson, Brett Favre has more weapons at his disposal than anyone else in the NFL.
But with that potential comes pressure. The Vikings have gotten off to a shaky start offensively, particularly in the passing game. While Moss helps, he's not a cure-all. If Favre can't play better, it won't matter who's catching the ball. How the Vikings deal with that pressure will determine how this trade is viewed five years from now.
7. Julian Edelman
14 of 20
How He's Affected: Julian Edelman was the Patriots' third or fourth wideout, depending on who you talk to. He's excellent in the slot, and can make big plays.
How does the Moss trade affect him? Well, logically, with more passes to go around, Edelman will get more passes to catch. With Brandon Tate's skills, though, don't be surprised to see Edelman stay put in the slot. His production should increase, as teams shift their attention to other aspects of the Pats' passing game.
6. Percy Harvin
15 of 20
How He's Affected: The speedy Harvin was one of Minnesota's best deep threats. Every down was a potential big play when he was on the field. The Moss trade diminishes Harvin's big play potential a bit, but it also opens space for the talented former Florida Gator.
With another weapon to worry about, Harvin is less likely to receive double teams, and when Sidney Rice returns, Harvin will see nothing but single coverage. In other words, it becomes more likely to see Harvin slip through the coverage out of the slot than it was to see him do it when he was the second wideout in Minnesota.
5. Wes Welker
16 of 20
How it Affects Him: The Moss trade makes the hardest working man in the NFL New England's best wide receiver. It means he's going to be getting lots of double coverage at first, until Tate establishes himself.
But in terms of the number of looks Welker gets, it should actually stay the same. Welker ran completely different routes than Moss did, meaning his stats won't be affected by Moss' departure. So while he's now the number one wideout in Foxboro, don't expect it to translate into a boost in stats.
4. Sidney Rice
17 of 20
How He's Affected: Rice was the best wideout in Minnesota last year, but it was his hip surgery that required the Vikings to go get Moss. He's scheduled to return by Week 10 at the latest, and when he does, his stats are sure to take a bit of a hit.
But Rice won't see as many double teams with Randy around and, like Harvin, will have more room to work. So while his catches will decrease, don't be surprised to see Sidney's yards per catch increase.
3. Brandon Tate
18 of 20
How He's Affected: The Patriots' rookie wideout is probably the biggest beneficiary of Moss's departure from New England. He's fast, has excellent hands, and has the necessary size to be a fantastic wideout in the NFL.
With Moss gone, the Patriots will use Tate to fill the role of top wideout. Welker's an over-the-middle-type, and Tate's got more talent than Edelman, so they'll run him on the routes Moss used to run.
Expect a massive jump in Tate's stats from this point forward.
2. Brett Favre
19 of 20
How He's Affected: This move might be what saves Favre's season. He's always wanted to play with Randy, and he's going to be excited that he gets to.
Favre had struggled in the Vikes' first three games of the season, but this move ought to help him immensely. Moss can catch those trademark Brett Favre "I'm bored; let's throw into triple coverage" passes, and he gives the quarterback a big, rangy target. Look for Brett to get a huge boost from Moss's presence.
1. Tom Brady
20 of 20
How He's Affected: The person who has the right to be most upset in all of this is Tom Brady. The Patriots' quarterback loses his best wideout and his go-to target, the only one he's had in his tenure in New England. Logically, his stats will take a hit without such a supreme talent, right?
Perhaps. But Brady's still got plenty of talent on this roster to throw to, in Welker, Edelman, Tate, and tight ends Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski. While his interception totals might rise as he tries to force the ball and make plays this year, his yards and touchdowns should be on par with his numbers in 2009.
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