When the then-Oakland Raiders acquired wide receiver Randy Moss in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings back in 2005, the hope was that he would provide the same elite production he had during his tenure in Minnesota.
Unfortunately, things didn't pan out that way, as Moss posted some of the worst numbers of his entire career with the Raiders after they gave up a first-round selection and more to bring him in.
Then, after two seasons in the Silver & Black, Moss was traded to the New England Patriots, where he quickly returned to form in a big way.
Moss went on to post three 1,000-yard seasons for the Patriots, including 1,493 in 2007, a season in which the Patriots had a historic offense and nearly went undefeated before the New York Giants put a stop to that.
In a recent article ranking the biggest sports trades of the last 25 years, Bleacher Report listed the Raiders sending Moss to New England at No. 6.
In his first season with the Patriots, he hauled in 98 receptions for 1,493 yards and a NFL record 23 receiving touchdowns, earning All-Pro honors and a Pro Bowl nod for the first time in four years. The Patriots finished 16-0 during the regular season but fell short in the Super Bowl.
He continued to shine in 2008 (69 receptions, 1,008 yards, 11 TD) and 2009 (83 receptions, 1,264 yards, 13 TD) before the relationship eroded in 2010 when he was not offered a contract extension, and he was eventually traded to the Tennessee Titans.
For the negligible cost of a fourth-round pick, the Patriots launched one of the most impressive career renaissances in NFL history.
With the fourth-round pick the Raiders acquired in the Moss trade, they drafted defensive back John Bowie in the 2007 NFL Draft. Bowie appeared in just five games for the Raiders over two seasons before he was waived in 2009.
Granted, the lack of a Super Bowl was certainly a major blemish on Moss' tenure with the Patriots, but we think it's safe to say that New England got the better of that deal.
Moss finished his career with six Pro Bowls and four first-team All-Pro nods. He was rightly inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.
