Everyone remembers Randy Moss' unstoppable run with the Patriots but the story of how he ended up in New England wasn't revealed until the first night of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was the star of the "Pat McAfee Show" first-round alternate broadcast. He provided football analysis and insight with a rarely-before-seen personality that illuminated coverage.
Belichick delivered a perfect tale on the night the Patriots finalized the trade to acquire Moss, but getting in touch with his future Hall of Fame wide receiver wasn't as easy as it should have been.
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Bill Belichick's Randy Moss trade story with Patriots
"We'd been trying to trade for Moss for two months. This was like childbirth. It took forever," Belichick joked to start the story.
"After the first day of the draft, I talked to [Raiders owner] Mr. [Al] Davis and he said, 'We're gonna do it for your fourth[-round pick],'" Belichick said before getting into the logistics of seeing the deal through.
"... I call up Randy, say, 'Hey, Randy, it's coach Belichick,' Boom. He hangs up the phone.
"Let me try this again," Belichick quips. "Randy, it's coach Belichick,"
"'Who is this?' Who's pranking me? Who is this?' Bam. Hangs up the phone," Belichick says, imitating Moss.
"Randy, this is coach Belichick, we traded for you!" Belichick continues.
"What? Is this a joke? This better not be a joke," he says in his Moss voice. "Really?!"
"The most interesting trade was the Randy Moss trade..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 26, 2024
We had been trying to trade for him for two months..
The first two times I called him to say we got him he hung up the phone because he thought it was a prank" 😂😂 ~ Bill Belichick#PMSDraftSpectacular pic.twitter.com/ov13j9L7Xg
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Belichick went on to describe the rush of getting Moss in for a physical and renegotiating his contract before noon the next day. Once Moss was in the building, his first question was, "Where's the playbook?" so he could be up-to-speed when he took first-team reps with star quarterback Tom Brady.
Belichick heaped praise on Moss' intelligence as a receiver and route-runner, explaining how he knew the impact Moss would have on the team after one film session.
An NFL-record 23 receiving touchdowns and a 16-0 undefeated 2007 regular season later, it's safe to say the Moss trade worked out fairly well for New England.
Randy Moss Patriots stats
Moss played three full years in New England from 2007-09 before being traded midway through the 2010 season.
His first season with the Patriots was historic, recording an NFL single-season record 23 receiving touchdowns. He nearly hauled in half of Brady's record-setting 50 passing touchdowns in a single season. Moss finished First-Team All-Pro and was runner-up to Brady for AFC Offensive Player of the Year.
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Moss never won a championship in New England, though. The Patriots, infamously, had their 2007 undefeated season spoiled by the Giants in the Super Bowl.
The following year, Brady tore his ACL in the first game of the season. In 2009, New England shockingly lost a wild-card game in Foxborough to the Ravens. Moss was traded to the Vikings after four games in the 2010 season.
| Year | GP | REC | YDS | TD |
| 2007 | 16 | 98 | 1,493 | 23* |
| 2008 | 16 | 69 | 1,008 | 11 |
| 2009 | 16 | 83 | 1,264 | 13* |
| 2010 | 4 (with NE) | 9 | 139 | 3 |
*Led the NFL