I think Tom Brady might be very excited about the Pats bringing Moss in...
Brady deserves a tip of the cap
He altered contract so Moss can fit in
Randy Moss's name will be spelled out in Patriot colors, thanks in part to his new QB, Tom Brady. (DOUG BENC/GETTY IMAGES)
By Mike Reiss, Globe Staff | May 1, 2007
Quarterback Tom Brady has yet to publicly comment on the Patriots' acquisition of receiver Randy Moss, but his actions speak volumes.
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Sign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts As part of the whirlwind process that brought Moss to New England, Brady provided a key assist.
Because the Patriots had to acquire the original terms of Moss's contract as part of the trade with the Raiders, the team needed to clear salary cap space to absorb the $9.75 million figure that Moss was scheduled to earn.
Enter Brady, who agreed to restructure his present contract that runs through 2010 to create the space.
That allowed the Patriots to finalize the trade for Moss, who then tore up his old contract and signed a one-year, $3 million deal that could be worth up to $5 million in incentives.
"Tom does what he can in order to win, " said Don Yee, his agent.
Brady's involvement with the Moss discussions was just one of the layers to a beat-the-clock process that began when the Patriots received permission from the Raiders to speak with Moss late Saturday night after the first three rounds of the draft.
At that point, Moss still had to fly to New England to take a physical and meet with team officials, all before the second day of the draft began at 11 a.m. Sunday.
While quarterbacks and receivers often talk about being on the same page on the field, Brady's actions have helped him get off to a strong start with Moss off the field.
"I've always been a big fan of Tom Brady, " Moss said Sunday. "From the time that he took over the starting job from Drew Bledsoe, I knew that was a blessing [for] Tom.
"I saw him play a little bit in college and then by him coming in and taking grasp of being the starting quarterback of the New England Patriots and winning three Super Bowls, I think that was just something that, as a fan of the game, that I always paid attention to."
The addition of Moss highlights a significant overhaul at receiver for the Patriots. After losing Deion Branch and David Givens last season, the Patriots were determined not to be put into the same situation again, and equally as determined to add big-play targets |
