Randy Moss: Could the WR Return To the New England Patriots in 2011?

For many, the sting of the Patriots' 2011 playoff exit has refused to dull despite the time that has passed.

Watching New England's offense crumble versus the Jets was just far too difficult to watch considering what the team had accomplished during the regular season.

Many fingers of blame have been pointed in many directions, most notably at the lack of a deep threat receiver.

The Patriots sent a guy of the same description packing before Week 5 of the season when Randy Moss returned to Minnesota for a short reunion. The disgruntled future Hall of Famer was traded to the Vikings along with a seventh-round selection in return for a fourth-rounder in the draft.

His second go-round with the Purple People Eaters ended about seven seasons earlier than his first did when "Super Freak" was released in Week 9, just four games after the trade.

"It was a poor decision," former Vikings head coach Brad Childress said, referring to the Oct. 6 deal. "I wished and hoped that it would have worked out as well. But it was a programmatic non-fit, and it didn't work out. When things don't work out, you need to move quickly to take steps."

So Moss was waived, and rumors abounded as to his next destination. The Tennessee Titans ended up placing a claim on the wideout, and he signed with the team for the remainder of the season (eight games).

With the end of the year comes the end of Moss' contractual obligations, however. Now a free agent, he can sign with any team, barring a lack of mutual interest, of course. League interest in Moss can't be as high as it was heading into 2010, but I can practically guarantee there's still interest.

Tennessee has gone on record stating it would consider bringing Moss back in but has made no promises. There are certainly other teams willing to take the receiver in, and many fans and analysts alike wonder whether New England will be one of those teams.

ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss recently discussed the plausibility of wide receiver Randy Moss returning to the New England Patriots and believes it to be possible, if highly unlikely, for the controversial wideout to play in Foxboro again.

Reiss lays out the ideal scenario in which Moss could make his return to Foxboro, but it includes the need for the oft-abrasive receiver to do and say all the right things. If I were placing money on Moss, it probably wouldn’t be on the odds that he’s going to keep quiet and play nice.

Reiss believes that Moss could return “[If he] tells Bill Belichick he had it wrong last year, has a new outlook on what's important, and would accept a one-year salary at $2.2 million with incentives that could push it higher."

Re-acquiring Belichick’s trust and admiration can’t be an easy task, however, and Reiss goes on to label the chances of bringing the 34-year-old back "unlikely" in part because it would block the development of younger receivers such as Brandon Tate, Taylor Price, Julian Edelman and whomever the team may bring in this offseason.

I think the chances of a return are extremely slim and that the Patriots are better off making another acquisition. Wide receiver is a need but is not the top priority this offseason, and it wouldn’t make sense to bring in a declining diva in his mid-thirties.

I was a big fan of what Moss was able to do with this franchise, but the “me-first” attitude and constant drama surrounding him while he was here should be enough to derail any chances he gets another reunion.

This article debuted on SpotsHaze.com/Boston