Whither Randy Moss?

The other big sports story this weekend was the continued non-signing of Randy Moss. When the Patriots elected not to slap the franchise tag on Moss, the wise men who cover the NFL decided the Pats must have a long-term deal in place with the record-setting wide receiver. When the first three days of free agency came and went with nary a peep about Moss, the wise men decided something must be up.

In one of the most hilariously contrived agent-pushing “stories” in recent memory, league shill John Clayton said on ESPN that Moss reached out to former quarterback Daunte Culpepper about reuniting.

One problem: Neither guy has a team. One other problem: Culpepper hasn’t exactly been good for a while now. So, what’s up with Moss?

The only real answer to that question is nobody knows. The Patriots, not exactly fountains of information, have said nothing. Moss, who gets unfairly labeled as a look-at-me receiver in the Chad Johnson mold, has said nothing.

The Herald’s John Tomase did the best tea-leaf reading Sunday, but even that was just guesswork. The NFL Network’s Adam Schefter apparently reported Moss and the Pats were close on a long-term deal. Linking the available information, Karen Guregian suggested that other teams saw any negotiation with Moss as a bargaining chip for him to re-up with the Patriots.

So, most signs point to Moss re-signing. Still. In the 24-hours media grindhouse we have become, that doesn’t make for very good copy. But since when have the Patriots cared about that?

UPDATE: Moss is apparently coming back. Retreat from the ledge, Patriot fans.