3 worst trades ever made by the Minnesota Vikings
By Adam Patrick
3. Sending Moss to Oakland in 2005
Since the day he arrived to the Twin Cities in 1998, Randy Moss quickly became the identity of the Vikings. Moss was unlike any receiver to ever play in a Minnesota uniform and he was virtually unstoppable.
In his first six seasons with the Vikings, the talented pass catcher finished each campaign with at least 1,200 receiving yards and seven touchdown catches. During that time, Moss was also voted to five Pro Bowls and he earned three First-Team All-Pro selections.
So when Minnesota decided to trade the receiver to the Oakland Raiders in 2005, it was a bit of a head-scratching move.
Even if Moss was coming off the worst statistical season of his career in 2004 (when he still hauled in 13 touchdowns), it was a trade that seemed totally unnecessary for the Vikings.
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Some will say Minnesota sent the receiver to Oakland because of off the field issues, while others believe it was a move made by former Vikings owner Red McCombs as one last punch to the gut before he sold the team.
In exchange for Moss, Minnesota received linebacker Napoleon Harris and two picks in the 2005 NFL Draft. The Vikings ended up using one of the draft picks to select South Carolina wide receiver Troy Williamson.
Minnesota felt they could basically just replace the void left by Moss with Williamson. An idea that didn’t exactly turn out the way that the Vikings had hoped as Williamson turned out to be an all-time draft bust.