Randy Moss is the best receiver in football, but if his attitude and contract overtures don't change, it could be time to consider the alternatives. He wants to be the highest paid player in the NFL, so what might that garner in a trade?

When Keyshawn Johnson signed his monstrous $8 million a year contract with Tampa Bay last season, VU columnist Adrian Hallsey was heard to say, "Oh, oh. This ain’t good. If Keyshawn is what $8 million, what’s Randy Moss worth? $16 million a year?" Said in jest, it may not be far from the truth.

VU reported last week that contract negotiations were being opened between the Vikes and Moss and that the initial numbers could be staggering. How staggering was left to the imagination — until now. The first comments from Moss’ people are that he wants to be the highest paid player in NFL history. Not the highest paid wide receiver. The highest paid player — period. Depending on who you ask, that would be Brett Favre, who’s signed to get $103 million over 10 years, although he likely will play only four or five more years, or Atlanta rookie QB Michael Vick, who signed a six-year, $62 million deal without proving himself.

Is Moss worth $10-11 million a year? Not a chance. Is he the best wide receiver in football? No doubt. But, the Vikings have Daunte Culpepper to consider — he’ll get that $10-11 mil a year — and the team is now faced with a troubling question — can you commit $20 million or more to two players in the current scheme of things in the NFL. Our answer would be yes if it was a running back and a quarterback, but, a wide receiver — regardless of his talent — is not worth that kind of money.

What did Emmitt Smith say in his last long-term contract deal? Detroit had signed Barry Sanders a year earlier and Smith was asked if he was seeking "Barry Sanders money." His response was brief: "I’m not looking for Barry Sanders money. I’m looking for Emmitt Smith money." Translation: more money.

If the Vikings would consider trading Moss, they could reap a harvest of draft picks — not like Herschel Walker, because everyone learned the hard way that something like that won’t fly — and, if nothing is done, Moss has already hinted he would ask to be traded if franchised. His value at that point would be minimal, because the team trading for him would have to do a pre-signing deal and, with that much money expended, the return to the Vikings would be less than doing something now.

We love Moss at VU, much more because of his ability than his attitude (he needs to display leadership before being the highest paid Viking) — almost exclusively because of his ability. But, if he plans to put a gun to the Vikings head and make the team suffer for years because of a contract paid out to arguably the most easily replaceable position on the football field, it would be insanity for the Vikings to give in to those demands. If he wants a six-year, $50 million deal with $15 million up front, the Vikings could probably live with that, but even that is pushing the button. Any more than that, it’s time to start shopping Moss around and see which team is the most desperate for help.

TUESDAY NOTES
* Whose numbers are to be believed? In a story in the L.A. Times, the paper said the Vikings turned a profit of $9.8 million last year. The Vikes publicly disputed those figures, saying the team lost $5 million. We don’t get into numbers crunching at VU, especially after hearing the Vikes were $20 million over the salary cap in January and then, with just a couple of moves, suddenly were under. But the Vikings, who are actively looking for a new stadium deal, continue to play the poverty card. In addition to vehemently disputing the L.A. Times story, the team reminded anyone who would listen that the Vikes were 24th in stadium revenue last year and that will drop to 30th out of 32 teams by 2004. Are the Vikings shackled as far as stadium revenue? Yes. Will the public buy the cries of poverty? Chances are, no. Read into both sides of that issue what you will.
* Guard Corbin Lacina hasn’t inked a one-year deal yet, but VU is being told it should get done soon — as early as Thursday or Friday.
* With as much talk as there has been about battles for playing time on the defensive line, a couple of obscure defensive tackles are trying to earn their own way into the fray. A couple of Vikings in NFL Europe made an impression last weekend. Winfield Garnett, the property of the Amsterdam Admirals, forced a fumble and had a sack, while DT Tim Engelhardt, playing for the Barcelona Dragons, had three sacks.