Randy Moss Trade: Why the Pro-Bowl Wide Receiver Couldn't Last in New England

The NFL world endured a blockbuster a trade today, with Randy Moss being traded from the New England Patriots to the Minnesota Vikings.

Since the week one win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Randy Moss completely lost his desire to be in a Patriot uniform much longer. Moss wants to be paid like one of the best receivers in the game, and it was clear the Patriots weren't comfortable in giving him a long term deal.

Moss will get what he wants. A brand new contract, and a chance to play with Brett Favre. More importantly, he is put onto a team that has Super Bowl hopes, and is now a force to be reckon with in the NFC.

For the time that Randy Moss played in New England, that was the goal. After being traded from the Oakland Raiders, he came to one of the proud franchises in football.

The Patriots were at the time an NFL dynasty, and adding Moss with Tom Brady as the starting quarterback can only lead to great things. The biggest question was going to be if Bill Belichick can handle the ego that Moss brings to a team.

Moss strained relationships with both the Vikings and Raiders when coming to New England.

In his first year wearing a New England uniform, the trade looked pure genious from the Patriots perspective.

In 2007, Randy Moss's stat line: 98 receptions, 1493 receiving yards, 23 touchdowns. Records were broken, and the man looked unstoppable.

His '07 season begun the comparisons of Brady-Moss to Manning-Harrison, Namath-Rice, and many other Hall of Fame combinations.

This dynamic duo also led to a 16-0 regular season, and a appearance in the Super Bowl. Then, in one of the most exciting Super Bowls in recent memory, the Patriots were upset by the New York Giants.

Though it wasn't thought of a possibility at the time, Randy Moss' tenure in New England was slowly beginning to crumble.

The following seasons did not get much better. Tom Brady injured his knee in the first week of the season, which gave Matt Cassel the reigns.

Not only did the Patriots not make the playoffs that year, but Moss was not targeted as often in the previous year.

When Tom Brady returned in 2009, New England returned to the playoffs and Moss improved his numbers. But after a devastating blowout loss by the Baltimore Ravens, the future of Randy Moss became in even more limbo.

Moss showed no effort in the playoff lost, being contained quite easily by the Ravens secondary.

Throughout the off season, the topic of Randy Moss and his future became a highly debated discussion.

His desire for a new contract was clear, and New England was nowhere near in the position to give him a contract.

After a slow start in 2010, Moss was finally dealt today to the Vikings.

When Moss first came to the Patriots, I actually believed he was honest in his determination to win a championship. His career year in 2007 made me realize how dominant he can be when he puts full effort in.

However, after the loss to the Giants, and the Patriots continued to fall out among the AFC elite, Randy Moss returned to his ways of greed and selfishness.

There is no doubt that Moss will take advantage of the opportunities he has with Brett Favre in Minnesota. However, if he does not get the championship he seeks, it is only a matter of time until his second tenure as a Viking will come to a close.

Matt Miselis is a NFL Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com. He is also a weekly contributor to NFL.com's " NFL Blog Blitz".

Follow me on twitter: twitter.com/MattMiselis.