NFL Free Agency: Could Randy Moss Return to the Patriots?

It seems that ever since receiver Randy Moss left the New England Patriots last season, fans and the media have been handicapping the possibility of his return to Foxboro.

There’s a chance Moss could come back, mostly because there’s a chance the mercurial receiver could do anything. By September 2011 he could be playing football in New England or drinking daiquiris on a tropical beach. Nothing that guy does surprises anyone any more.

We offer a quick review of the pros and cons of a return of the prodigal Moss.

On the positive side, there’s the production. The Patriots had the most prolific offense in NFL history in 2007. Moss caught 23 of Tom Brady’s record-setting 50 touchdown passes that year.

Though only four years ago, it seems like a different football era now. That team epitomized the idea of games as track meets, with Moss opening up the underneath routes for Wes Welker and Jabar Gaffney. They gave a tremendous display of offense for weeks on end.

On the negative side, those fireworks led to a lack of overall toughness in that team, first exposed during their arduous November matchup against Philadelphia. The Eagles blitzed Brady while playing man-to-man coverage, slowing down the offense to merely mortal levels. New England held on for a 31-28 victory, and their days of consistent blowouts were over.

Moss is a speedster, not a brawler. But with a re-commitment to the running game, new muscle like tight end Rob Gronkowski and scrappy guys like Welker and Deion Branch, how tough would Moss need to be?

The Patriots could go with the draft to find their downfield threat. Torrey Smith of Maryland has some rockets, as does Leonard Hankerson of Miami. Those types could provide necessary cushion for Brady’s underneath reads, giving the Patriots the chance to consistently move the ball down the field.

One quick reminder about the Pats drafting receivers, though: Chad Jackson. The big bust from Florida never made it in the NFL, despite showing the most pure athleticism of any pass-catcher chosen in the 2006 draft. Add human comet Bethel Johnson to the list (drafted second round, 2003), and it appears that Bill Belichick has had some hiccups picking receivers early.

Even the staunchest Moss supporters began to have doubts last season after a Week 1 victory over the Bengals. He took the podium and began rambling about his contract situation like a drunken best man toasting a marriage he wasn’t all that sure about.

Moss has said he wants to return. He called his time at Gillette his favorite in the NFL, and he has repeatedly praised Brady and Coach Belichick as being the best at what they do. Having played for three different teams last year, Moss learned the hard way that New England was where he should have stayed.

Could he behave? Absolutely. Moss has shown that he can provide a helpful locker room presence and play the dutiful teammate.

Would he behave? Yes. At least, at first. Moss would come in with a new contract so full of behavior-based language, you’d think Freud wrote it. He wants to play—and he wants to get paid. The best way to do both is to prove he can come back to Foxboro, take his lumps from the media and fans, and help the team.

It’s not like New England has a dynamic young receiver ready to take his place. Welker and Branch are closer to their retirements than their rookie years. Julian Edelman, a seventh-round surprise in 2009, took a step back last season to make way for the tight ends. Brandon Tate runs routes with the precision of a college playmaker (i.e., not all that well), while rookie Taylor Price sat on the bench so often it’s a wonder his legs didn’t go numb.

Not one of the above players makes opposing safeties drop back for fear of giving up the big one.

In 2007, Belichick took a chance on a talented receiver labeled difficult by the media and his former teams. That gamble paid off with the most prolific offense in the history of the sport.

While it’s not likely that Moss will enter the hallowed halls of Gillette again, it could happen. You just never know with that guy.