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Packers, Raiders not close on Moss trade, sources say
By BOB MCGINN
bmcginn@journalsentinel.com
Posted: March 15, 2007
Green Bay - The Green Bay Packers and Oakland Raiders are not close to a trade in which the Packers would acquire wide receiver Randy Moss, NFL sources familiar with the situation told the Journal Sentinel today.
Officials from both teams labeled as inaccurate a report written by Michael Felger of the Boston Herald quoting a source in Wisconsin that the two teams "are on the verge of announcing a trade that would send the troubled wide receiver to Green Bay in exchange for backup quarterback Aaron Rodgers."
"It's all a joke," a personnel man for one of the two clubs said.
"It's not true," said another personnel man for one of the two teams. "That's just stupid."
Felger, who covers the New England Patriots, is a native of Wisconsin and has friends in the state. His four-paragraph story appeared on the Herald Web site at mid-morning. Later, Felger added a paragraph indicating that a source close to Rodgers adamantly denied his report.
The Raiders rated Rodgers over Alex Smith before the 2005 draft. The only quarterback on their roster is Andrew Walter. Obviously, they need quarterbacks.
But earlier in the week an NFL source with knowledge of the Raiders told the Journal Sentinel that he doubted the team would have interest in Rodgers.
On Feb. 28, the Journal Sentinel reported that the two teams had been discussing Moss for a considerable length of time. On Tuesday, the Journal Sentinel reported that Packers GM Ted Thompson had spoken to Raiders owner Al Davis about a deal for Moss, and that the Raiders were confident about their ability to obtain a draft choice for Moss.
In the last few days, however, other NFL sources said that Thompson is inclined just to wait out Davis with the expectation that the Raiders either will release Moss or trade him to Green Bay for a mid-to-late round draft choice.
Rodgers, a first-round draft choice in 2005, hasn't been impressive during two training camps and two appearances in the regular season. Also, in November, he suffered a broken left foot, an injury from which he apparently now is fully recovered.
Still, the Packers not only don't have another viable backup to Brett Favre, they also have no heir apparent. They definitely want to see more of Rodgers as they determine whether he can play.
The Packers probably wouldn't give up Rodgers to any team in exchange for a player that they seem convinced they can get on the cheap later on.
Thompson was on the road in Georgia on a scouting trip and unavailable for comment.
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