Much has been speculated regarding the Pats wanting to trade with the Raiders for Derrick Burgess. The recent signing of Ellis by Oakland and their acknowledgment that they are in fact trying to trade Burgess seems to enhance the prospects that they will deal him to the Patriots.

 What seems curious to me is that reading comments from Raider fans, and seeing reports attributed to the Raiders themselves, there is a sense of great value regarding Burgess that just is not realistic.

Now, I suspect much of this perception of exaggerated worth comes from the aftermath of the trade for Randy Moss. What many fail to recall about that situation is that it was far from clear that Moss was going to excell for the Pats once they acquired him. He was in the last year of his contract. He had shown little desire for the game in Oakland. His numbers were very pedestrian. It was far from a sure thing that he would be setting the season record for TD catches the day the trade was made. I assume the Raiders weren't getting any better offers elsewhere. At the time many had serious questions whether the Pats had traded for a player with a bad attitude that would create problems for the team chemistry.

In this Burgess situation there are similarities. He has not played well in some time. Actually, he has not played much at all of late due to injuries. He is unhappy with his contract and his lot in Oakland. He has only one year left on his contract. From the Patriots perspective trading for him is a clear risk. Maybe it will work out great, maybe it will be throwing away a draft pick. Whatever the case the Pats still would be faced with having to pay considerable cash to retain his services after this year. The final analysis should be that giving a 3rd rounder is a fair trade. Otherwise, the Raiders can keep the 30 year old, oft injured, signed for one year, unhappy player.