Did the Packers almost trade Aaron Rodgers for Randy Moss? Viral rumors on 4x NFL MVP debunked
There's the man, the myth and the legend. NFL greats Aaron Rodgers and Randy Moss can always be considered in this category.
However, one rumor that keeps coming back is the supposed story about how their fates could have intertwined. The viral thought concludes that there was a time in Green Bay Packers history when they thought of trading Aaron Rodgers for Randy Moss.
That was when Brett Favre was the starting quarterback for the Packers, with Aaron Rodgers an unproven newbie, and the wide receiver was unsettled with the Oakland Raiders. With the disgruntled player wanting out, Green Bay was reportedly willing to send the now four-time MVP to Oakland in return for the wide receiver.
That would have created a dynamic duo for the Packers with Brett Favre playing with Randy Moss. There was also the chance that with Randy Moss gone, the Oakland Raiders would have drafted Calvin Johnson first overall, as Aaron Rodgers took over at quarterback there.
It's a very fine story but with one glaring error: it never happened.
WILD STORY: In 2007 the #Raiders & #Packers had trade talks that would have sent Randy Moss to the #Packers for Aaron Rodgers.
If this happened, the cause would’ve been that:
Instead of Oakland taking JaMarcus Russell with the first overall pick, they would’ve likely selected… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/5YiXyOzuLJ
Aaron Rodgers was never a chip in Packers' pursuit of Randy Moss
The real story evolves a bit more differently. As Jayson Jenks and Mike Sando wrote in the Athletic, there was indeed a time in 2007 when the Packers were chasing the Hall-of-Fame wide receiver.
However, it centered around the NFL Draft that year and not on any particular player like Aaron Rodgers. Al Davis, the Raiders owner, had realized that Randy Moss wanted out and was willing to trade him.
The receiver himself was coming out of a miserable season. In 2006, he just had 553 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 13 games, hardly something to crow about.
Coupled with a high salary demand, it meant that his stock had fallen. So, when Davis asked a second-round pick for the wide receiver, there was not much movement in the market. Closely monitoring the situation were two teams, the New England Patriots and the Green Bay Packers. None of them buckled at the asking price.
When the second round came and went, Al Davis relented and said that he would settle for a third-round pick. However, both interested suitors stayed true to their beliefs that it was too high a price.
What they were offering were instead picks in different rounds. The New England Patriots were offering their sixth-round pick initially. They did not have a fifth-round pick, having traded it to the Raiders, ironically, the year before. That allowed the Packers to have a march on the Patriots, as they were willing to offer a fifth-round pick for the wide receiver's services.
Before the third and fourth rounds on the second day, that is where the teams stood, the Green Bay Packers felt confident that the deal was trending in their direction.
However, they had not factored in some other things. Randy Moss wanted to play with Tom Brady, as confirmed by the quarterback in the 'Man in the Arena' documentary. They had met when during the previous season with the Raiders, the wide receiver had flown to Minneapolis to watch the Minnesota Vikings take on the Patriots.
Returning to the team that drafted him, not many saw anything wrong with his presence there. However, he was on a mission to establish rapport with the Patriots quarterback, being miserable playing in Oakland.
So, the Patriots worked behind the scenes, where they decided that they had to get Randy Moss to New England. The Packers, including starting quarterback Brett Favre, firmly believed that they were the frontrunners before the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. However, they were one-upped when the Patriots offered the fourth-round pick to the Oakland Raiders and Al Davis relented.
So, Randy Moss went to play for the Patriots in the 2007 season and amassed 1,493 yards, going 16-0 in the regular season. They would go on to lose in the Super Bowl to the New York Giants, though. Meanwhile, Brett Favre played his last season for the Green Bay Packers before moving to the New York Jets, allowing Aaron Rodgers to come through.
A look back at how the Patriots pulled off one of the biggest draft day trades, acquiring Randy Moss. Great story from @JaysonJenks and @SandoNFL: theathletic.com/4449816/2023/0…
Had the wide receiver come to Green Bay, Favre could have stayed a couple more years. That could have meant that Aaron Rodgers would have had to move elsewhere. However, at no point did the franchise offer the current New York Jets quarterback to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for the wide receiver.