Musket Fire
FanSided

Patriots: 5 most surprising Bill Belichick moves ever

By Noah Green

HOUSTON, TX - FEBRUARY 05: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots gives a thumbs up on the field prior to Super Bowl 51 against the Atlanta Falcons at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - FEBRUARY 05: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots gives a thumbs up on the field prior to Super Bowl 51 against the Atlanta Falcons at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
Randy Moss #81 of the New England Patriots (Photo by Benjamin Solomon/Getty Images)
Randy Moss #81 of the New England Patriots (Photo by Benjamin Solomon/Getty Images) /

4. Trading Randy Moss (2010)

Perhaps the most memorable Patriots’ move of the dynasty was trading away Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss back to the Minnesota Vikings for a 2011 third-round pick. To any Pats fan that’s brave or strong enough to reflect upon the 2007 season remembers just how dominant the Brady-Moss duo was.

When traded, Moss was only three years removed from the greatest season in NFL history, breaking the regular season touchdown record in 2007 when he caught 23 scores from Brady. In the two years after that, Moss was still productive, logging 2,172 receiving yards and 24 TDs, with one full season of Matt Cassel at QB after Brady was injured.

Brady and Moss already proved to be one of the greatest QB-WR pairings of all time and seemed like they had a lot left in the tank. However, Belichick felt like a change was needed after Moss recorded just 13 catches for 174 yards and two scores after the first four weeks of the 2010 season. After a zero-catch performance against the Dolphins in Week 4, he was shipped out of town the next day.

Home/All-Time Lists