Packers interested in Randy Moss

[faba]

By BOB McGINN

bmcginn@journalsentinel.com

Posted: March 13, 2007

Green Bay - At some point this morning, Ted Thompson will make his monthly presentation to his bosses at the Green Bay Packers and the subject of his keen interest in acquiring Oakland wide receiver Randy Moss undoubtedly will top the agenda.

Packers/NFL

Photo/AP

Randy Moss Moss has base salaries of $9.75 million in 2007 and $11.25 million in '08.

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At that time, chairman of the board Bob Harlan, President John Jones and six members of the executive committee will hear details from Thompson regarding his plan to add Moss, and the general manager will learn what management has to say about the raging debate in Packer Nation.

"Ted has not spent a lot of time talking to me about it, quite honestly," Harlan said Monday. "Ted always starts out our meetings with a football report so he may get into that."

Sources have said the two teams have been discussing Moss for more than a month. On Monday, a source familiar with the inner workings of both organizations said Thompson had spoken directly with Raiders owner Al Davis about dealing for Moss.

"They're going to get rid of him," the source said. "I think they think they can trade him. And I know Green Bay has interest."

Thompson refuses to discuss Moss, and Davis always operates under a veil of secrecy. Tim DiPiero, the agent for Moss, was unavailable for comment.

But the source said he was confident that Packers negotiator Andrew Brandt, with permission from Davis, already had had preliminary talks to restructure Moss' remaining base salaries of $9.75 million in 2007 and $11.25 million in '08.

Davis is 77 and struggles to walk, but Raiders employees maintain that he remains as competitive as ever. If Thompson is passionate about anything, it would be holding on to his draft choices.

It's possible that the two sides might not agree on compensation until summer, if at all, with Davis holding out for at least a second-round pick to save face and Thompson hoping he'll just waive Moss and gain a reported $8 million in cap space.

"But Al is stubborn," one source said. "He might hang on to the guy and tell the new coach (Lane Kiffin) just to go (expletive) coach him."

In the end, Thompson might part with a middle-round choice for the 30-year-old Moss, a devastating deep threat for seven seasons in Minnesota but a dud in Oakland for the last two.

If the Packers were to offer a player, the source said the Raiders wouldn't have any interest in quarterback Aaron Rodgers but indicated that defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila or defensive tackle Corey Williams might have considerable appeal to them. The Packers insist Rodgers isn't available, anyway.

Despite acquiring wide receivers Donte' Stallworth, Kelley Washington and Wes Welker in the last week, New England admires Moss and still might take him, one source said. Tampa Bay also has interest but probably only if it can't select Georgia Tech's Calvin Johnson with the No. 4 pick.

Today in the board room, Thompson will find out whether the men who run the franchise can stomach having Moss on the team. In fairness to Thompson, Harlan said he didn't know yet if the opposition to Moss would preclude a match being made.

"I've told Ted about the calls I've gotten but I haven't talked to him since Fan Fest ended or what happened today," said Harlan, who had just finished fielding five more calls on Moss.

"When it first started as a rumor, Ted came in to see me. I told him, 'I don't know what you're thinking about Randy Moss but I've got to let you know that the initial response I'm getting is not good.' It has settled down a little bit since then. I'd say it's been maybe 65-35% anti."

On Monday, Harlan shared the contents of a fax and phone call that summarized the no-Moss sentiment.

"One man wrote, 'Moody. Excess baggage. Disruptive. Do any of these words sound like alarm bells to you?' " Harlan said. "One guy called from out of state and said, 'Bob, I'd rather see you go 0-16 than do that.' Isn't that something?

"They're very passionate about it. A lot of it probably is the mooning thing. They just won't forgive him for doing that."

Other fans equate the situation to the '96 waiver pickup of character risk Andre Rison, a late-season starter on the Super Bowl team.

"People say to me, 'Brett (Favre) needs a big target. I know he's got baggage but he's never hurt anybody,' " Harlan said. "Today, they were all, 'Take a chance.' "

With Harlan ready to retire in late May, he vividly recalls the scandalous trials of the 1980s involving Mossy Cade and James Lofton.

"We've always talked about the public-relations image of the franchise and the class image of the franchise," Harlan said. "Those are important things to me, very important things to me.

"Ron Wolf was looking at a draft pick with baggage one year and he said, 'Where do you hide him in Green Bay?' And I said, 'You don't.' "

[4HCrew]

this would be the stupidest of all moves.. Favre has one year left and then what Randy will be dealing with Aaron Rodgers??? disaster written all over it

[joewilly]

I think it can safely be said that the packres ( no typo) are a bit further than a wr away from smelling a playoff spot, even in the nfc.