On March 2, 2005, the Oakland Raiders completed a blockbuster trade to acquire Randy Moss, the NFL’s most explosive wide receiver, from the Minnesota Vikings. In return, Oakland gave up the seventh overall pick in that year’s draft. The trade hasn’t worked out well for the Raiders to say the least. Moss is a malcontent who hasn’t played at anywhere near the level he achieved in Minnesota, and the Raiders’ offense is so lacking in talent that it’s hard to blame Moss for the sad state of affairs in Oakland.

At first glance, the trade wouldn’t seem to have worked out well for the Vikings, either. They used that draft pick to select Troy Williamson, who has been an adequate but far from spectacular receiver. With 27 catches for 357 yards and no touchdowns, Williamson hasn’t come close to matching the production the Vikings got from Moss.

Fortunately for Minnesota, however, a third player was part of that trade. Linebacker Napoleon Harris seemed like just a minor throw-in at the time of the trade, but halfway through his second season in Minnesota, Harris has quietly become one of the best players on the league’s most dominant run defense.

With Harris as the starting middle linebacker, Minnesota has allowed league lows in rushing yards (596), yards a carry (2.7) and rushing first downs (33). At their current pace, the Vikings will allow just 954 rushing yards this season, which would break the 2000 Baltimore Ravens’ record for the fewest rushing yards allowed in a 16-game season in NFL history.

Last Sunday, when the Vikings completely shut down Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown (holding him to a stunningly low two yards on 12 rushing attempts), Harris played a major role, tackling Brown six yards behind the line of scrimmage on one play and crowding the middle of the line on several other runs. However, Minnesota’s offense turned the ball over three times, and the Vikings lost the game, 24–20. The inability of Minnesota’s offense to play up to the level of its defense is the reason the Vikings, who will test that stout run defense against LaDainian Tomlinson and the San Diego Chargers Sunday, are a disappointing 4–6 this year.

Of course, the Vikings are far ahead of the 2–8 Raiders, who have the worst offense in the league despite having Moss on the roster. Moss is at his most effective when he can run deep routes, but the Raiders’ offensive line is so weak that the team’s quarterbacks — Kerry Collins last year, Aaron Brooks and Andrew Walter this year — have seldom had enough time in the pocket to set up to throw to Moss downfield. As a result, Moss is catching much shorter passes in Oakland than he did in Minnesota.

Moss is the leading receiver for the Raiders, who play the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, but that’s not saying much. In his seven seasons in Minnesota, Moss averaged 82 catches for 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns. His statistics declined significantly last year, and this year he has just 33 catches for 455 yards and three touchdowns, putting him on pace for the worst season of his career.

More important, in two seasons with Moss on the roster Oakland has won only six games. Moss said last week that he would like to be traded again, but it’s hard to imagine any team would want. At 29, Moss should still have a few good years left, but it’s clear to anyone who has watched him that he isn’t as fast as he was early in his career in Minnesota. Moss has two years remaining on his contract at about $7 million a year, and he simply isn’t worth his salary.

Harris will soon find out exactly what he’s worth, as he becomes a free agent after this season. Whether the Vikings resign him or he leaves for another team, he’ll earn his paycheck in a way Moss hasn’t the last two years. When the big trade happened last year, no one would have said this with a straight face, but Harris isn’t just a better bargain than Moss. He’s a better player.