Following the Patriots’ 38-24 win over the Bengals on Sunday, Randy Moss took the time to once again express his frustrations over not receiving a contract extension offer from New England.
From the Boston Herald:
“If you got a boss, you would like to feel appreciated,” Moss said. “This is the last year of my contract, and there hasn’t been anything discussed, there has not been anything said, not a letter, not nothing. I’m not saying that I want to stay here, but I love playing here. If the future of my job lets me go to another team, then that’s what it’s gonna be. Right now I have a contract with the New England Patriots [team stats], I’m going to play my last year out and do it to the best of my ability.
“I don’t want anything negative to come out of this, like it usually does. It’s not that I’m mad or trying to be disgruntled. I’m not here to disrespect the organization. I’m not disrespecting my teammates, but this is my first time talking and I wanted to get that out there.
“If the opportunity presented itself later in the season for me to be a New England Patriot, I would accept that, but if it doesn’t, I must leave. I’ve already shown that I can play at a high level at age 33. For me to be offered a contract after the season is over, I think that would be a smack in my face, and I don’t even want to get into that.
“It’s like if you work for somebody, sometimes you want your boss to tell you that you’re doing a good job. You want to be appreciated, and me personally, I don’t think I’m being appreciated. I take my job very seriously and I want to let the fans, the real fans of the New England Patriots, know that I’m not here to start any trouble, I’m here to play my last year out of my contract.”
If I were in Moss’s shoes, I would probably feel frustrated about the situation, too. He’s been a great Patriot over the years and his numbers certainly warrant him receiving a new contract. He’s also been on his best behavior since arriving to New England and has become one of the team’s most viable offensive pieces.
That said, I just can’t shake the fact that he basically stole money from Oakland for two years before the Patriots rescued him. So does New England owe him or does he owe New England? In other words, is he justified for venting because of what he’s done for the Pats or should he just be quiet, honor the rest of his contract and hope for an extension in the offseason?
I could go either way, although at this point I would advise Moss to temporarily move on. He’s said his peace on the matter and now the Patriots know how he feels. There’s no sense bringing it up again, although I understand it’s tough sometimes with the media always poking and prodding for a headline.
