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Wow, very shocked.Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported on Tuesday night the Vikings are "very close" to completing a trade with the New England Patriots that would bring seven-time Pro Bowl receiver Randy Moss back to Minnesota.
The hang-up, per Glazer, is that a new contract must be finalized first for Moss, whose base salary this season is $6.4 million. According to Glazer, the sides are working on that new deal for the 33-year-old receiver, although ProFootballTalk.com reported they've yet to discuss terms.
It's no secret the Vikings have been looking for a big target to help Brett Favre as their downfield passing game has sputtered during a 1-2 start. They signed Javon Walker before cutting him, pursued suspended San Diego receiver Vincent Jackson last month and signed Hank Baskett.
Still, a deal to bring back Moss -- the Vikings' first-round draft pick (21st overall) in 1998 who was traded to the Oakland Raiders in 2005 -- would be nothing short of stunning, despite the apparent unraveling of his relationship with the Patriots.
Moss (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) has only nine catches for 139 yards and three touchdowns this season, and he didn't have a reception in Monday's 41-14 win at Miami. He's also made clear he wants a new deal, telling reporters after the Patriots' opener that he preferred to stay in New England but felt unwanted, and reportedly having his agent, Joel Segal, request a trade.
He was a divisive figure during his seven seasons in Minnesota, too. Moss' trangressions on the field (squirting a water bottle at an official in 1999, leaving the field early during a 2004 game at Washington, pretending to moon fans at Green Bay in a 2005 playoff game) and off it (pushing a traffic cop with his car in 2002) at times overshadowed his remarkable production (six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons to begin his career before being slowed by a hamstring injury in 2004).
The Vikings traded Moss to Oakland on March 2, 2005, for linebacker Napoleon Harris and two draft picks, including the No. 7 overall selection they used on receiver Troy Williamson. The deal in essence was a bust for both sides.