The Oakland Raiders are trying to trade Randy Moss and the Green Bay Packers definitely are interested if the former all-pro wide receiver would agree to a restructured contact in order to play with a better team and Brett Favre. Sources close to the situation said the Packers had explored trading for Moss. The two teams have had preliminary dialogue but at this point the Packers consider Moss to be an economically unfeasible solution to their need for another receiver alongside Donald Driver and Greg Jennings.

The Raiders have signed two of their potential unrestricted free agents, agreeing to contracts with defensive tackle Terdell Sands and linebacker Robert Thomas. The Raiders got the deals done before the start of the free agency period on March 2. The team did not announce the signings, but the contracts were listed on the NFL Players Association Web site.

The Raiders cut ties with Aaron Brooks on Thursday, declining to pick up the option on the quarterback's contract after one difficult season. Brooks, who would have been due a $5 million roster bonus if he had stayed on the roster, failed to win any of his eight starts with the Raiders. The QB, who signed with Oakland after six seasons with the Saints, will now look to join his third team in as many years.

Jerry Porter is ready for a new start with the Oakland Raiders. After a difficult 2006 season when he clashed with coach Art Shell and rarely got on the field, Porter announced Wednesday he is changing his uniform number from 84 to 81 in order to put last season behind him and get off on the right foot with new coach Lane Kiffin.

The Raiders re-signed defensive tackle Terdell Sands and linebacker Robert Thomas to multiyear contracts Wednesday, according to people familiar with the negotiations. The signings come a little more than two weeks before the key backups were set to hit the market as unrestricted free agents.

The Oakland Raiders met with former College of San Mateo coach Tom Martinez on Friday to discuss their quarterback coach position and LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell, a potential No. 1 draft choice whom Martinez recently tutored. The Raiders own the top pick in the NFL draft, and Russell and Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn are believed to be among their targets. Though Jim McElwain is still listed as the Raiders quarterback coach, new Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin has been interviewing people for the position. Still, Martinez is thought to be reluctant to make the all-encompassing commitment required of an NFL position coach.

Tom Rathman, the longtime 49ers fullback and assistant coach, has joined the Raiders as a running backs coach, the team announced Thursday. The switch from gold to silver isn't entirely new: Rathman spent the last season of his playing career with the Raiders after serving eight seasons as the popular blocking fullback for Niners greats Joe Montana and Steve Young.

Center Jeremy Newberry's almost decadelong association with the 49ers ended this week when he was informed the team wouldn't re-sign him. Newberry, who wants to play again after recovering from microfracture right knee surgery in August, will turn his attention to the Raiders. Newberry, 30, was chosen by the 49ers in the second round of the 1998 draft out of Cal and rose to become the team's best lineman for several seasons. He was elected to the Pro Bowl in 2002.

Hall of Famer Fred Biletnikoff retired Wednesday as the Raiders' wide receivers coach after spending more than three decades as a player and coach for the franchise. Biletnikoff, who is second in team history with 589 career catches, spent the past 18 seasons on the Raiders' coaching staff, the last 10 as receivers coach.