Randy Moss

At 47 years old, Randy Moss has this physical status:

Randy Gene Moss (born February 13, 1977) is an American former professional football player who works as a television sports analyst.

He appeared in the National Football League for 14 seasons (NFL).

He holds the NFL single-season touchdown reception record (23 in 2005), the NFL single-season touchdown reception record for a rookie (17 in 1998), and second on the NFL all-time regular season touchdown reception list with 156.

He currently works for ESPN as a studio analyst on Sunday's NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown shows. Moss played college football for Marshall University and twice received All-America recognition.

He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft, where he spent seven years before being traded to the Oakland Browners in 2005.

Moss was traded to the New England Patriots in fourth-round draft pick on April 29, 2007, where he set the single-season record for touchdown receptions.

Moss returned to the Vikings in a trade from the Patriots on October 6, 2010, but the team was cut less than a month later, and the Tennessee Titans claimed him less than a month later.

Moss opted to leave early in the 2011 season after being out of the 2011 season.

He appeared in two Super Bowl games, XLII with the Patriots and XLVII with the 49ers, both losing. In his first year of eligibility, he was chosen to join the Pro Football Hall of Fame on February 3, 2018.

Early years

Moss was born in Rand, West Virginia. He attended DuPont High School, one of two schools that later merged into Riverside High School, where he excelled at football, basketball, baseball, baseball, and track. Randy was also on the school's debate team. Moss led the DuPont Panthers to back-to-back state championships in 1992 and 1993. He was a star as a wide receiver but also played free safety, returned kickoffs, and punts, and was the team's kicker and punter. In 1994, he was named Best Virginia Football Player of the Year by the Harrison H. Kennedy Award as the West Virginia Football Player of the Year. In 1995, Parade magazine named him to their All-American high school football team, and in 2009 naming him one of the country's top high school football players of all time. He was a teammate of future Chicago Bears linebacker Bobbie Howard at DuPont.

Moss was twice named West Virginia Player of the Year in basketball (in 1994 and 1995), where he was a teammate of future NBA player Jason Williams and played basketball at DuPont. Moss' averaged 30.2 points, 13.7 rebounds, 3.8 blocks, and 3.1 assists in his senior season of basketball, despite shooting 60% from field; he hit a school-record 1,713 career points.

Moss, a sophomore in 1992, joined the track & field team and became the West Virginia state champion in the 100 and 200 meters with times of 10.94 seconds and 21.95 seconds, respectively. This was his first year on the track team at the University, but he would return to Marshall and lower his 200 m time to 21.15 seconds. He also played center field for the baseball team.

Personal life

Maxine Moss and Randy Pratt are Moss' parents. Moss has no contact with his father. Lutisia's sister and brother Eric, who spent a brief time in the NFL as an offensive tackle with the Minnesota Vikings, have a brother who played briefly. Moss has five children: Lexi Adkins, Sydney, Senali, Thaddeus, and Montigo. Thaddeus is a close end for the New England Patriots. Moss is also a Christian, as evidenced by his NFL Hall of Fame address.

Moss was driving and planning to make an unlawful turn in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, on September 24, 2002. A traffic enforcement officer, who had no idea what he was going to do, stopped in front of his car and ordered him to stop. Eyewitness accounts of the incident differ, but Moss did not comply with the officer's instructions, and she was pushed by his car and fell to the ground. Moss was arrested, and a search of his vehicle revealed a joint amount of less than a gram of marijuana in his ashtray. Moss was first charged with criminal Susault of Assault with a Deadly Weapon and a misdemeanor marijuana possession, and was released the next morning. Moss pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor traffic offense and was fined $1,200 fine and 40 hours of community service. Although the criminal charges were eventually dismissed, the traffic control officer's civil lawsuit brought a substantial penalty fine "in the low to mid six figures." Moss said the couple was not his, and that he had allowed friends to use his car prior to the collision.

Moss smoked a joint in April 1996 right before releasing himself in prison. When he was in high school, he was supposed to complete the remainder of his 30-day term for misdemeanor battery. Moss was given a drug test that came back positive during his first week in prison. He was held in solitary confinement for a week and had 60 days to his 27-day term attached. For the failed drug test, coach Bobby Bowden withdrew his scholarship and Moss was barred from Florida State University.

Moss was positive for marijuana under the NFL's substance abuse policy in 2001 and was subjected to more random drug testing for two years. Up to ten tests per month can result in a first breach of the NFL's drug policy. Moss did not fail an NFL drug test again, and after two years, the program was moved out of it.

Moss admitted to smoking marijuana during his NFL career "every blue moon" in August 2005, during an interview with Bryant Gumbel. Moss replied "I do." When asked if he still uses marijuana now, he replied, "Yes, yes." I might have fun. And, you know, hopefully... You know, I won't get into any trouble by the NFL by saying so. I've had fun throughout my life, but mostly in the offseason." The interview drew skepticism from the league office, and his agent attempted to make it seem that his words had been taken out of context. "I was really me talking in the past tense of time in my career and childhood," Moss said in response, "particularly in high school and college."

Moss "had" been injunctioned for some sort of harassment against dating violence, according to Orlando-based radio station WDBO on January 15, 2008. Moss committed a battery against Rachelle Washington, causing serious injury, but then refused to encourage her to seek medical attention, according to the affidavit. Moss cannot approach 500 feet from the perpetrator and is not allowed to use or carry weapons, according to the affidavit from Broward County. Moss said the woman was simply looking for money "over an accident" because her advocate came to her aid, threatening a lawsuit and asking for money to settle before going public to the media. Moss said he had been in Washington for about 11 years. He also said in his defense that he had never assaulted a woman in his entire lifetime, and that the media and supporters should "find out the truth" before "rushing[ing] to conclusions. In addition, Moss's counsel accused the woman's advocate of "blatant threats and attempts to extort money" from Moss in an e-mail to the Boston Globe. Rachelle Washington filed papers with the Broward County Circuit Court clerk's office on March 3, 2008, requesting that the restraining order be suspended and the case closed. In the shooting, there were no criminal charges ever brought.

Source

College football career

Moss's aspiration was to play for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, but he also considered going to Ohio State, where his half-brother Eric White played offensive tackle. "Randy Moss was the best high school football player I've ever seen," Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz said. "He was as good as Deion Sanders," Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden said. This kid was just a bigger Deion, according to Deion's measuring stick for athletic endurance, and this boy was just a bigger Deion."

Moss played a letter of intent to play college football with Notre Dame in 1995, and he was hospitalized for one individual. Moss had backed a friend in a hallway confrontation against a white student who had allegedly used racist words against Randy's cousin. Moss was first charged with felony for kicking the student, but the charge was later reduced to a misdemeanor. Moss pleaded guilty to two counts of misdemeanor battery and was sentenced to 30 days in jail at the South-Central Regional Jail in Charleston, West Virginia, on August 1, 1995. He spent 3 days in prison beginning the night and was expected to complete the remaining 27 days within the next 18 months, after completing his freshman year in college. Moss was kicked out of DuPont and began his studies at Cabell Alternative School.

Notre Dame later denied his enrollment in the University, but this did not stop another high-profile college football program from denying him a chance. Officials at Notre Dame suggest he attend Florida State University due to Bobby Bowden's fame for assisting injured students.

The NCAA designated him as a transfer student to Florida State, requiring him to redshirt the 1995 football season due to his signing letter of intent at Notre Dame.

Moss, who was serving his 30-day prison term in a work-release scheme from 1995, tested positive for marijuana, thus breaking his parole, and was barred from Florida State. For the probation in breach, he was sentenced to 60 days in jail.

Moss stayed at Marshall University about an hour's drive from his house. Since Marshall was attending a Division I-AA school at the time, NCAA rules permitted him to transfer without losing any further eligibility. In 1996, he set the NCAA Division I-AA record for the most games with a touchdown catch in a season (14), most consecutive games with a touchdown catch (13), and the most receiving yards gained in a season (78), a record that remains. Moss was also the best kickoff returner in Division I-AA on the season, with 612 total yards and a 34.0-yard average. In the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game, the Marshall Thundering Herd went undefeated and won the Division I-AA championship, with Moss having four touchdown receptions. Marshall spent his remaining seasons before moving to Division I-A.

Moss completed the 200 meters in 21.15 seconds at the Southern Conference indoor track championships in 21.15 seconds, just shy of the conference record by only.02 seconds. Despite the fact that Moss did not compete for four years, his time was one of the best in the country that year.

Marshall's first appearances in Division I-A, Moss, and Quarterback Chad Pennington were the center of an explosive offensive that led to the Thundering Herd to the Mid-American Conference championship in 1997. Moss made 26 touchdown passes this season, the first time a Division I-A record was set, and he was a first-team All-American.

Marshall lost his first game of the season at West Virginia University. Moss picked up right where he left off in 1996 in the second game of the season. Moss, the Army's 186 yards and two touchdowns, had 5 balls for 186 yards and two touchdowns. In a game in which Pennington lobbed the ball down the left sideline, one touchdown went for 79 yards. Moss sprinted the ball out of the air at the 40-yard line, securing the safety from the ground, knocking both men down. The score was unbeaten in Moss' last 50 yards. On third down, the other touchdown reception was his career-long of 90 yards, which came on a short screen pass. Moss ran past three defenders in the middle of the field at the 15-yard line, advanced to the next defender at the 50-yard line, and then saw daylight down the left side of the field.

Moss played his third game against Kent State this week in his career. Against Ball State, two weeks after it was his fourth and final 200+ yard game in college, he had 13 catches for 205 yards and a Marshall single-game record of 5 touchdown receptions.

On Marshall's first offensive play from scrimmage, he scored his 26th touchdown of the season in the 1997 Ford Motor City Bowl against Ole Miss. He sprinted down the right sideline and caught an 80-yard touchdown pass from Pennington to tie the score at 7-7. At the time, NCAA rules did not allow for statistics from bowl games to be combined with regular-season statistics, so the touchdown did not actually change his season touchdown record. Multiple times in the fourth quarter, the two teams traded leads before Ole Miss running back Deuce McAllister scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 31 seconds to play, giving them a 34-31 advantage. Pennington was attempting to win on a 40-yard pass on the final play of the game, but he was banned from playing as time expired. Moss ended the game with six receptions for 173 yards.

Moss played at least one touchdown in all 28 games he played for at Marshall during his career. He received the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the season's top receiver, despite position, and was a finalist for the 1997 Heisman Trophy (second in the balloting, behind Ryan Leaf, Peyton Manning, and Charles Woodson, who received the award). Randy Moss' controversial remark at a memorial service at Marshall University in 1997, when he was speaking out about the 1970 plane crash that killed the majority of the football team, but it wasn't anything major." The quotes were later discovered to be out of context, according to Moss. Nate Ruffin, a former member of the 1970 Football Team, met with Randy Moss later this year.

Professional football career

Moss missed his junior and senior seasons at Marshall and the NFL Draft, but he did not participate in the draft. He did not attend the NFL Combine, opting instead for a personal workout at Marshall's pro day. After the pro day was over, Marshall head coach Bob Pruett informed the media that Moss had completed two 40 yard sprints at 4.24 and 4.28 by scouts' hand timers. Moss also reached a height of 47 inches. Several teams were on hand, with some noting the work-out was jaw dropping, with one Cowboys scout naming Moss as the "most gifted prospect in football history."

Moss, a first-round pick in 1998, was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings with the 21st overall pick after a number of NFL clubs, as well as those needing a WR, were concerned with Moss' well-documented legal issues. Moss was quoted as saying that teams that had passed on Moss "would regret it once they find out what kind of a player I am and what kind of guy I am." The Dallas Cowboys is the team most often blamed for Moss' passing. Moss aspired to play for the Cowboys as a kid growing up. Moss wanted Moss, but the Cowboys needed him because of several off-field incidents, including a young girl's death, Jerry Jones, did not think the team could draft Moss. Moss believed the Cowboys lied to him because they had warned him not to draft him. Dallas went so far as to have a scout in Charleston, West Virginia, the same town where Moss and his mother were watching the draft on draft day. Michael Irvin, a Dallas star, even called to apologize to Moss because Irvin's own off-field injuries were the primary reason why Moss was not drafted by Dallas. Moss made a point of thinning the Cowboys whenever he encountered them, winning his first opportunity to do so in Week 13 of his rookie season. Moss torched Dallas with a 163-yard, 3-receptions for three touchdowns in a game played at Texas Stadium.

Moss committed to a 4-year, $4.5 million deal, which included an additional $4 million in bonuses and incentives after the draft. He was given a $2 million signing bonus as part of the offer. Moss wore #18 in training camp (a number he'd wear for Oakland), but then switched to the more orthodox #84 before the regular season began.

Moss helped the Vikings become the nation's top rated offense at the time, defeating the 2007 New England Patriots, who also featured Moss) with 556 points.

With a 31-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Vikings opened the season. Moss' first NFL game would also be his first multi-touchdown game, with him receiving 4 receptions for 95 yards and two touchdowns. Brad Johnson's first NFL reception came on the third play of the game on an 11-yard pass. In the first quarter, Moss juggled the ball three times before tying it for the score. His first touchdown was a 48-yard acrobatic grab over defensive back Floyd Young late. On the Vikings' first possession of the second quarter, he made a 31-yard touchdown reception, giving the Vikings a 21-0 lead.

In Week 5, he played for the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field for his first Monday Night Football game. He had five receptions for 190 yards and two touchdowns, including touchdown grabs of 52 yards and 44 yards, and two other receptions of 46 yards and 41 yards. On the Vikings' first possession of the game that was forfeited due to a defensive holding foul, he had a 75-yard touchdown catch.

Moss was up for 3 touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day, leading to three catches for 163 yards and three touchdowns in the Vikings' victory over the Cowboys. On Thanksgiving, Moss was the first rookie to score 3 touchdowns.

They finished with a 15-1 record and were set to represent the NFL in Super Bowl XXXIII. The Atlanta Falcons shocked the Vikings by winning the NFC Championship Game 30–27 in overtime.

Moss was named Pro Bowl starter and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year for his rookie-record 17 touchdown receptions and the third-highest receiving yardage (1,313) total at the end of the 1998 regular season.

Moss had another good year in 1999, with 80 passes for 1,413 yards and 11 touchdowns, including a punt return for a touchdown. In the Vikings' 27-10 NFC wildcard playoff victory over the Dallas Cowboys, he continued his streak of 127 yards and a touchdown. Despite Minnesota's catch of nine yards and two touchdowns, the St. Louis Rams defeated them 49–37 in the divisional round. During that game, Moss was fined $40,000, which was later reduced to $25,000 due to squirting an NFL referee with a water bottle. If he had another run-in with the league, there was a promise that he would have to pay the difference in lieu of any other fine.

Moss made his second straight Pro Bowl appearance, turning in a record-breaking show. He had 9 receptions for a Pro Bowl record 212 yards and was named the game's Most Valuable Player award.

Daunte Culpepper, the team's second-year quarterback, was in charge of the team during the 2000 season. In 1999, Culpepper was the team's first-round draft pick, and they received a pick from the Redskins for quarterback Brad Johnson. He was mostly chosen because of his arm strength, which the team believed was perfectly suited for Moss' deep roads. The call was correct. Culpepper was a rookie miracle, the Vikings won 7-0, and Moss was a leading MVP candidate. Moss suspended the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day for the second time in three seasons, with Moss's complete body out of bounds, except for his toes. For years to come, the play will be the talk of NFL commercials for years to come. Moss finished the season with a career-high 1,437 yards and a league-leading 15 touchdown grabs. He made the All Pro Bowl his third appearance and fastest player to ever catch over 3,000 yards and 45 touchdowns in doing so, earning him his third trip to the Pro Bowl and his second selection to the All Pro team. The Vikings would make it to the NFC Championship game, but the New York Giants would beat the Vikings 41–0.

Moss and his handler Danté DiTrapano started discussing a new deal with the Minnesota Vikings in the offseason. In 2001, he was supposed to make $3.5 million. However, Moss, who had signed the rookie contract in 1998, was looking for a long-term contract that would make him the highest-paid player in the NFL. "We want to break the tradition of quarterbacks being the highest-paid athletes," his agent said. According to one of the Vikings' other choices after the season ended, the Vikings should have used the franchise tag, but reports indicate that Moss would request a trade if it happened because it would still be less than what they could sell on the open market.

Red McCombs, the Vikings' owner, agreed to an 8-year, $75 million contract extension right before the start of training camp in July. The contract included a $10 million signing bonus and another $8 million in guarantees.

Moss failed to make the Pro Bowl for the fourth straight season after finishing the season with ten touchdowns and 1,000 receiving yards for his fourth straight season.

Mike Tice had been named head coach on January 10, 2002 after replacing Dennis Green on a temporary basis until the 2001 season. Moss' first-year head coach was able to get Moss the ball more often. It was the Randy Ratio, according to Coach Tice. It was an attempt on the coaches' part to give the Vikings defense a chance to rest as he had been in the 2001 season when he was barred from playing for longer stretches. An assistant coach will stand on the sidelines during games and count how many times Moss has been kicked to, as well as informing Tice of the percentages so he is always aware of it. In the 2001 season, the Vikings had 4–1 passes thrown his way, with 1–10 in other games.

As Vikings receiver Chris Walsh called it, the initiative was a retort to the 'Randy Rules,' as a result of Vikings receiver Chris Walsh's call. The Randy Rules, which were similar to the Jordan Rules, were a defensive tactic used by teams against the Vikings to try and minimize Randy's impact on the game and discourage Moss from being matched up one-on-one with defenders due to his ability to burn them deep or outjump them in single coverage. Opposing teams would often double cover Moss, including a cornerback attempt to jam him at the line of scrimmage, having a corner defend against the deep ball, having a zone defense roll to Moss' side of the field, and sending "spies" to follow Moss everywhere he goes.

Coach Tice addressed the theory, announcing that Moss will be running shorter and intermediate routes and no deep patterns. Moss concentrated on 12 new routes that he had rarely run in his first four NFL seasons, including crossing patterns over the field and hook routes. "When we say Randy Ratio, everybody in the league says, 'OK, now they're going to throw the ball down the field to Randy." That's so far from the truth. In fact, we'll probably toss the ball down the field to Randy this year, even less."

The Randy Ratio didn't live long, as Tice scrapped the idea midway through the 2002 season. Randy Moss said, "I didn't really care about the Randy Ratio when it was first introduced." I just wanted to win." Although Moss had a career-high 106 passes, he had also had a career-low 7 touchdown receptions, and the Vikings lost to a 6–10 record. After the season, Tice said it was a mistake to warn opponents of his offensive game plan, but that it was a tool "to inspire [Moss] and say he was the one."

During the 2003 regular season, Moss' fortunes took a different turn on the football field, where he was the second wide receiver in NFL history (behind Jerry Rice in 1995) to play more than 12 games (he played 16) while averaging over 100 yards and one touchdown per game. He had 111 receptions for 1,632 yards and 17 touchdowns. All three numbers either tied or set a new personal record for Moss. The Vikings finished the season 9-7. During a home game against Denver, one of Moss' most memorable performances of the year was when he adumbered to Moe Williams for his second touchdown.

He enrolled in the Vikings strength and conditioning program and gained five pounds of muscle to his frame in the offseason.

Moss played well in his first 5 games of the season, scoring 8 touchdowns. However, he sustained a hamstring injury to his right leg against New Orleans in Week 6 that hampered him for the next five weeks. For the first time in his career, he appeared in Week 7 against Tennessee but had no receptions in a game. He also played against the Giants this week, but mainly as a decoy. He was sidelined for three weeks due to his injuries. He returned to the lineup against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 12 after receiving a touchdown pass.

Despite finishing the season with 13 touchdowns in 13 games, he set career lows in receptions (49) and receiving yards (767). It was the first year in his career that he failed to reach the 1,000-yard mark.

In an NFC wildcard playoff game against the Green Bay Packers on January 9, 2005, the Minnesota Vikings defeated division rival Green Bay Packers. In the 31–17 victory, Moss finished the game with four catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns. Moss trotted to the end zone goalpost and feigned pulling down his pants to moon the Green Bay fans following the second score. Joe Buck, the NFL on Fox, called it a "disgusting act." Moss was fined $10,000 for his behavior. Even if the Vikings win the game, they will fall in the next round of the playoffs to the Philadelphia Eagles, and Moss will be traded at the end of the season.

Moss was traded to the Oakland Raiders for linebacker Napoleon Harris and the Raiders' first (7th overall), which Minnesota converted into wide receiver Troy Williamson) and seventh-round picks in the NFL draft on March 2, 2005. In Oakland, adding a player of Moss' caliber boosted optimism, but the Raiders' bad play continued, while Moss suffered from nagging injuries that limited his growth. On the final day of the 2005 season, he surpassed the 1,000 mark on the last day, bringing the year's total yards on 60 catches to 1,005 yards. In comparison, Moss only passed 553 yards on 42 balls in 2006.

Moss was not happy in Oakland, and when he was praised as a kick returner by receiving an award named after him on November 14, 2006, he replied to concerns about his lost passes and lackluster performance in several games. "Maybe because I'm sad and I'm not too keen on what's going on," Moss said, so my concentration and focus levels tend to fall when I'm in a bad mood." On his weekly segment with Fox Sports Radio, he reiterated his dissatisfaction with games and being a member of the Raiders, saying, "I could want to look forward to going somewhere else next year to get off to a new start and playing football."

There were rumors leading up to the 2007 NFL Draft that the Raiders were going to cut Randy Moss in a trade. Lane Kiffin, the first-year head coach, of the Los Angeles Raiders, went so far as to contact their division rival Denver Broncos "gauge interest," but the Patriots and Green Bay Packers were the two clubs most interested in acquiring Moss. Brett Favre, the Packers' quarterback who once said, "There is no one in this league who puts more fear in people than Randy Moss," tried to convince team leadership to fire him, but a deal that neither team nor team could agree on did not get done.

The Patriots and Raiders discussed the trade several times during the first day of the NFL Draft before finally reaching an agreement. Bill Belichick for the first time discussed the prospect of joining the Patriots at 2:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. Moss boarded a plane and landed in Boston later that morning on April 29; he was required to pass a team administered physical. Once Randy Moss was cleared by Patriots officials, the teams completed a trade that sent him to New England for a fourth-round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. The Patriots had obtained the draft pick the day before from the San Francisco 49ers, and the Raiders had selected John Bowie.

Randy Moss would have to restructure his contract for salary cap reasons, which was one of the employment conditions. Tom Brady of New England converted $5.28 million of his base salary into a signing bonus that was spread out over the remaining portion of his deal so that it would free up cap space just hours before the Moss trade was completed. The Patriots were able to pay for Moss's new deal under salary cap. Moss had two years on his previous contract and was expected to make $9.75 million in 2007 and $11.25 million in 2008. He rushed to commit a new one-year deal to replace his old one as the Patriots welcomed Moss on their roster. Under the new contract, he received a $500,000 signing bonus, a base salary of $2.5 million, and the ability to receive an additional $1.75 million in incentives.

Moss said, "I'm still in awe that I'm part of this team" and was eager to join a team that could contend for the Super Bowl and work with Coach Belichick. "I think he's the kind of coach who can inspire me." He has a proven track record.

Moss sustained a hamstring strain in his left leg during the first week of training camp during an 11-on-11 passing drill. Moss was unable to participate in any preseason games as a precaution, and he skipped much of camp.

In Week 1, he took his first action in a Patriots uniform against the New York Jets. He quickly silenced defenders who said that his talents had deteriorated by hauling in nine receptions for 181 yards, including a 51-yard touchdown pass over three Jets defenders.

James Black, Yahoo's NFL reporter, died on November 4, 2007. "How the heck did he come up with that?" Sport wrote, "Every week, in addition to out-leaping at least one defender for a touchdown." In a single game against Buffalo, he scored his career-high four touchdowns.

The Patriots beat the New York Giants 38–35 on December 29, defeating them with a perfect 16-0 record during their regular season. Moss' total number was 23 for a total of 23 touchdown receptions, beating Jerry Rice's single-season record of 22 touchdown receptions (in 12 games during the strike-shortened 1987 season). Tom Brady scored his 50th touchdown pass on the same play, beating Peyton Manning's single-season record set in 2004. In 2007, Moss had 98 catches for 1,493 yards, the highest yardage total in Patriots franchise history and the third-most catches after teammate Wes Welker's 112 catches that same season and Troy Brown's 101 in 2001. He made his sixth Pro Bowl pick. In 13 of his 16 games (including eight multi-touchdown games), nine 100-yard games, and six touchdown receptions of 40 or more yards were recorded.

Moss was relatively quiet in the playoffs during his record-breaking 2007 season, going two games without a touchdown for the first time all season. However, he scored with 2:42 left in the fourth quarter on a six-yard pass from Tom Brady, giving him the game-ahead touchdown. With a Super Bowl win, the Patriots were not able to win their only undefeated season. Eli Manning led the Giants down the field, teaming up with Plaxico Burress for the game-winning touchdown and an upset over the Patriots. On the Patriots' last ride to Moss, Brady's deep throw fell just short and incomplete.

Since the Patriots decided not to place the franchise tag on Moss, Moss became a free agent on February 28, 2008. Despite the fact that Moss, the Philadelphia Eagles, and Green Bay Packers had been rumored to be interested in him, he returned to the Patriots on March 3, 2008. The deal included a $12 million signing bonus as well as a total of $14.1 million.

Brady sustained a torn ACL in his left knee while trying to pass to Moss in the first game of the 2008 season. Safety Bernard Pollard didve at Brady's leg while throwing the ball in the first half against the Kansas City Chiefs. "Anytime you see something like that, it looks squalid, it opens your eyes," Moss said. It seemed dirty to me personally." Brady was suspended for the remainder of the season, but Matt Cassel was drafted out of place.

Despite losing quarterback Tom Brady in the first game of the season, Moss hauled in 69 catches for 1,008 yards and 11 touchdowns.

In a comeback 25–24 victory over the Bills in the season's opener, Moss had a career-high 12 passes for 141 yards. Moss was buried deep in coverage against the Denver Broncos in Week 5, including intercepted Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton, who was attempting to end the first half. Moss caught three touchdown passes from Tom Brady in a snowy Week 6 game against the winless Tennessee Titans, two of whom were in the 2nd quarter, as Brady tied for the most touchdown passes in a single quarter with five. This was Moss' 34th multi-touchdown game and his 8th game with three or more touchdowns.

"Is the smartest receiver he's ever been around" during Belichick's visit to the Patriots' bye week. Moss compared Tom Brady's ability to see the field and anticipate plays to that of Tom Brady, as well as Lawrence Taylor, who Belichick coached with the New York Giants. Moss is not only aware of what he's doing on a play, but everyone else on the track is doing as well, according to him. "They're unique because of their uniqueness." Belichick said, "They have just got a sixth, seventh sense." When Moss was inducted into the Hall of Fame, the sentiment was reiterated, although Belichick went on to say that he learned from Moss.

In Week 9 against the Miami Dolphins, Jake Smith had six catches for 147 yards and 1 touchdown. The touchdown reception was his 140th appearance of his career, putting him in a tie for second place with Terrell Owens.

Moss had 179 yards and two touchdowns, including a 63-yard touchdown in the 2nd quarter, putting him ahead of Terrell Owens for second place in career touchdown receptions. With 900+ receptions and the seventh player to reach 14,000+ yards in a single game, he became the 11th player in NFL history with 900+ receptions and the seventh player to reach 14,000+ yards in career.

He had 83 receptions for 1,264 yards and an NFL-high 13 touchdowns. The Baltimore Ravens will lose the AFC Wild Card playoff to New England, 33–14.

Moss, who was entering the final year of his deal, told CBS Sports that he "did not feel well" in New England in the weeks leading up to the Patriots' 2010 season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. In Week 1, the omsters would post 5 passes for 59 yards. Moss told reporters that it will be his last season with the Patriots after the game. Moss demanded a trade after the game, according to the Boston Herald a few weeks later.

Moss had two receptions against the New York Jets, including a 34-yard touchdown that he caught one-handed after defeating All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis. Moss had two more catches against the Buffalo Bills this week, both for touchdowns. For the first time in his Patriots career as a touchdown pass attempt off a fake spike bounced off his hands in the end zone, his last game in New England came in Week 4 against the Miami Dolphins; he did not record a catch in the game for the first time in his Patriots career.

Moss was traded to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for the Vikings' third-round pick (later used to select quarterback Ryan Mallett) in the 2011 NFL Draft, two days after the Patriots' game against Miami. As part of the trade, the Patriots also sent a 2012 seventh-round pick to the Vikings.

Brad Childress, the Vikings' head coach, told Vikings players in a team meeting that Moss would be waived by the team, just over four weeks after being traded to Minnesota. Moss is reported to have told teammate Zygi Wilf that Childress was unfit to coach in the NFL and should be suspended right away during the press conference. According to reports, Wilf considered killing Childress and keeping Moss, but Moss was officially suspended the next day, November 2. On November 22, the childress was eventually dismissed.

On November 3, 2010, Moss was found without waivers by the Tennessee Titans, the only team to file a lawsuit. Moss appeared in eight games with the Titans, starting with four. He had six catches for 80 yards and no touchdowns.

Moss finished the 2010 season with career lows in receptions (28) and receiving yards (393). Moss did not want to re-sign the Titans for the 2011 season, and he became a free agent, not a footballer.

Moss's agent, Joel Segal, revealed the decision to leave professional football on August 1, 2011.

Moss announced on February 13, 2012, his 35th birthday, that he was coming out of retirement and was ready to play again. Moss said, "I want to play football" in a live video chat with his followers on Ustream. So excited that your boy will be back here and play some football. "I had some things I had to change in my life."

Moss signed a one-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers for undisclosed financial terms following a consultation with team head coach Jim Harbaugh on March 12, 2012. Moss earned his 154th touchdown reception on September 9, 2012, and then passed Terrell Owens for his sole possession of second on the all-time receiving touchdown list. After Alex Smith sustained a concussion against the St. Louis Rams in week 10, Colin Kaepernick took over as the team's quarterback, and Moss had at least two receptions in each of the team's remaining five games of the regular season. He had 28 catches for 434 yards and three touchdowns on the season, leading to his season with 28 touchdowns. Since Terrell Owens' retirement at the end of 2010, he had been the NFL's leading receivers in receiving yards. In a 34–31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Moss would eventually play in Super Bowl XLVII, where he had two receptions for 41 yards.

Post-football career

Moss was hired as an analyst for Fox Sports 1's Fox Football Daily show after being released from the 49ers. In June 2014, Moss was hired as an associate head coach and defensive coordinator at Victory Christian Center High School in Charlotte, North Carolina, where his son was attending high school and playing football.

Moss joined ESPN as an analyst in July 2016, following him on Sunday night's NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown. In 2018, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Moss was named to the National Football League 100th Anniversary All-Time Team in 2019.

Source