Looking back on a pivotal trade between the Jets and Washington that brought Santana Moss to Washington.
Following an improbable and exciting run to the NFC Championship game, all eyes are on the Washington Commanders this offseason to see if they can maintain their success into 2025. To their credit, the Commanders have been hard at work in acquiring talent through free agency and the NFL Draft. Washington also made a big-time trade for a veteran wide receiver, landing Deebo Samuel from the San Francisco 49ers to help build out the receiver room around quarterback Jayden Daniels.
As this marks 20 years since another pivotal wide receiver trade involving Washington, it seemed like an ideal time to look back at the Santana Moss/Laveranues Coles trade from all the way back in 2005. While Moss’s legacy in Washington is well documented at this point, it’s easy to forget that this trade was a bit of a risk back in the day. Laveranues Coles had been the more consistent player at this point in his career, while Moss was two years younger and presented a potentially higher ceiling.
Let’s look back on the famous trade and definitively answer who came out on top.
Original terms of the Santana Moss/Laveranues Coles trade
Washington receives: WR Santana Moss
Jets receive: WR Laveranues Coles
How was Santana Moss’s performance for Washington?
Santana Moss immediately hit the ground running in Washington, putting together the best season of his career in 2005. Moss piled up an incredible 1,483 yards on 84 receptions (17.7 YPR) and 9 TDs. He would achieve his lone Pro Bowl and All-Pro (second-team) honors that year. While he never again reached those elite heights, Moss remained a very good and consistent starter for the next nine seasons. All-in-all, Moss appeared in 146 games for Washington and contributed 581 receptions for 7,867 yards to go along with 47 TDs.
That career placed Moss at fourth on the career receiving yardage list for Washington, cementing his legacy as a franchise cornerstone.
How was Laveranues Coles’ performance for the Jets?
Laveranues Coles began his career with New York before a two-year stint with Washington. The Jets clearly wanted him back, making the trade to secure his return in 2005. Coles would go on to play four more seasons with the Jets from 2005-2008. His best year came in 2006, where Coles put together 91 receptions for 1,098 yards (12.1 YPR) and 6 TDs. While Coles was a good starting receiver and a consistent presence in New York’s passing attack, he never quite regained the elite form he showed earlier in his career.
Who won the Santana Moss/Laveranues Coles trade between Washington and the Jets?
This trade is pretty straightforward. While both sides of the deal got a consistently good starting receiver, Washington came out ahead with Santana Moss. Moss’s 2005 season was better than anything the Jets got from Coles, and Moss managed to become a franchise icon over a long and distinguished career with Washington. Sticking with a single team for nine years is an impressive feat no matter how you slice it, and Moss’s legacy is undeniably impressive.
That’s not to say that the Jets got a bad deal with Laveranues Coles. He did manage several impressive seasons in New York after the trade and was ultimately a good player for the Jets. He just didn’t have the longevity and legacy that Moss managed to achieve in Washington.
WINNER: Washington