Minnesota reunited Randy Moss with Brett Favre in a win-now…
Minnesota reunited Randy Moss with Brett Favre in a win-now move, sending New England a 2011 third-round pick while receiving Moss and a 2012 seventh-rounder. The reunion lasted only four games: Moss caught 13 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns before the Vikings waived him. New England used pick No. 74 on Ryan Mallett and avoided losing Moss for nothing after the season. The Patriots clearly won despite modest production from Mallett.
Minnesota Vikings Received
- player Randy Moss
- pick 2012 7th round pick (223rd overall; later traded to Detroit as part of a package)
New England Patriots Received
- pick 2011 3rd round pick (74th overall, Ryan Mallett)
Trade Analysis
Minnesota's 2010 season had been built around one more championship push with Brett Favre, and injuries at receiver created urgency. The Vikings sent a 2011 third-round pick to New England for Randy Moss and a 2012 seventh-round selection, betting that a reunion with one of the franchise's greatest players could revive a struggling passing game.
The move failed almost immediately. Moss played four games for Minnesota, catching 13 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns. After a loss at New England, his public comments and friction with coach Brad Childress accelerated an already unstable situation. The Vikings waived Moss less than four weeks after acquiring him, and Tennessee claimed him. Minnesota finished 6-10 and Childress was fired later that season.
New England's return was not spectacular, but it was tangible. The Patriots used the 74th pick in 2011 on quarterback Ryan Mallett, who spent three seasons as Tom Brady's backup before New England later traded him to Houston. More importantly, the Patriots received a third-round asset for a veteran they were not planning to extend. The seventh-rounder sent to Minnesota eventually became part of another Vikings draft trade, so Minnesota did retain a small amount of value beyond Moss.
The grades should reflect the enormous difference between expectation and reality. Minnesota receives a D- because a meaningful third-round pick bought only four games from Moss, even accounting for the seventh-rounder coming back. New England earns a B+ because it converted a deteriorating contract situation into useful draft capital without materially derailing a 14-2 season. The Patriots win comfortably even though Mallett himself never became a major NFL starter.