A three-year contract worth $27 million and the chance to compete for a championship were too much for veteran receiver Randy Moss to pass up.

The Providence Journal / Bob Breidenbach

Right around the evening rush hour yesterday, there was a collective sigh of relief let out across New England by Patriots fans as word spread that Randy Moss had been signed to a three-year contract.

Since the Patriots elected not to franchise Moss 12 days ago, there had been no news on the status of discussions between the veteran wide receiver and the team. There were rumblings — the two sides had a verbal agreement in place that would be announced on the first day of free agency; Moss wasn’t happy with talks and was willing to listen to offers from other teams; the record-setter had reached out to friend and former teammate Daunte Culpepper to talk about their being in the same locker room again.

But unless Culpepper is headed to New England to back up Tom Brady, it appears that’s not happening.

It does appear that Moss talked with at least one other team, as reports last night said the Philadelphia Eagles believed they were close to signing Moss. But in the end, staying on the receiving end of Brady’s passes was too much for Moss to pass up.

Even if he did pass up more money to do so.

Agent Tim DiPiero said the three-year pact calls for Moss to make $27 million, $15 million of which is guaranteed. The other $12 million is a signing bonus.

“Randy was serious about wanting to stay,” DiPiero wrote in an e-mail to reporters. “Because of Randy’s record-breaking year, the interest in him was very high. Randy took less than he could have to rejoin his teammates.”

In a statement announcing the deal, Pats coach Bill Belichick said, “What Randy did for our team last year was outstanding. He is one of our most consistent, competitive and team-oriented players and it is undoubtedly a relationship we are excited to continue.”

After two subpar seasons with a bad Oakland team, Moss was traded to New England for the bargain price of a fourth-round draft pick last April. Though he received no up-front money, he was with the team for offseason team activities (OTAs) and June minicamp. But after giving a taste of what he and Brady might be capable of doing during the first week of training camp, Moss missed the rest of camp with a hamstring problem.

He proved to be well worth the wait. In his first game in uniform, the regular-season opener against the Jets, Moss recorded 9 catches for 183 yards and one amazing TD grab among three defenders.

Moss finished the season with 98 receptions for 1,493 yards and an NFL-record 23 touchdowns as well as his first Super Bowl appearance.

On his Web site, therealrandymoss.com, Moss left a message for his fans:

“I want to take the time out to thank all of the fans for their support and for wishing me well in my return to New England. I’m ready to get back. We have some unfinished business to take care of.”

With Moss’ deal now done, New England may now turn its attention to fellow receiver Jabar Gaffney. Gaffney is also a free agent, and there hasn’t been any news on the progress of contract talks since the NFL Combine, when agent Drew Rosenhaus said they were “ongoing.”

When the Patriots acquired Gaffney in Oct. 2006, he received a two-year deal for minimum dollars. Though his numbers were down last year, Gaffney still made key catches, including the game-winner in Baltimore on Dec. 3.

In other news, the team also announced the signing of former Buffalo receiver Sam Aiken. Though technically a wideout, Aiken is a special-teams ace, with 61 tackles in five seasons (64 games). He has just 19 career receptions.

“Competing against Sam many times over the years, we know firsthand what he brings to us. We’re glad he is a Patriot,” Belichick said in a statement.

Another former Bills player, corner Jason Webster, was scheduled to visit New England yesterday, but as of last night, it was not known if he was offered a contract.

Currently, Ellis Hobbs is the only true, experienced corner the Patriots have on the roster. Mike Richardson spent his rookie season last year on injured reserve and Tim Mixon was on the practice squad.

Eugene Wilson visited Tampa Bay on Sunday, but there was no word on a contract between the safety and the Buccaneers.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Randy Moss’ 2007 statistics, month by month:

smanza@projo.com