From 99-0, TeamFB7 is looking back on the greatest players in NFL history to don each jersey number. No ties allowed, tough decisions will be made — next is No. 84 and Randy Moss.
If Jerry Rice is the consensus greatest wide receiver of all time, peak Calvin Johnson arguably the most physically dominating wideout ever, Larry Fitzgerald the most perennially consistent of his era and Terrell Owens perhaps the most underrated at the position, where does that leave Randy Moss?
Easy — the most jaw-droppingly entertaining wide receiver in the history of football.
And, yes, of course the greatest No. 84 the NFL has ever seen.
We’ll get to the stats and feats in a moment, but let’s start with this: Moss was so damn good in his prime he became a verb!
Moss
(transitive verb)
– to embarrass a defensive back by making a catch of incredible difficulty over top of them that will endlessly replay on highlight shows. (past tense: “Mossed”)
– “You just got Mossed!”
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Moss had the blazing speed to suddenly appear wide open 10 yards downfield behind a defense like a magic act but also the uber athleticism, height, top-percentile wingspan and elite hands to seem almost unbeatable in any one-on-one matchup.
The NFL has had bigger receivers, plenty of other incredibly athletic and similarly lanky pass-catchers, maybe even a few faster ones (maybe), but has there ever been a more complete package than the skill set Moss brought to the position? That’s hard to imagine.
From 1998-2012, Moss racked up 982 receptions for 15,292 yards (4th-most all-time) and 156 touchdowns (2nd behind only Rice).
Where Randy Moss Ranks All-Time
| NFL All-Time Leaders Receiving Yards | Years | Teams | Receiving Yards |
| 1. Jerry Rice | 1985-2004 | 49ers, Raiders, Seahawks | 22,895 |
| 2. Larry Fitzgerald | 2004-20 | Cardinals | 17,492 |
| 3. Terrell Owens | 1996-2010 | 49ers, Eagles, Cowboys, Bills, Bengals | 15,934 |
| 4. Randy Moss | 1998-2012 | Vikings, Raiders, Patriots, Titans, 49ers | 15,292 |
| 5. Isaac Bruce | 1994-2009 | Rams, 49ers | 15,208 |
| NFL All-Time Leaders Receiving TDs | Years | Teams | Receiving TDs |
| 1. Jerry Rice | 1985-2004 | 49ers, Raiders, Seahawks | 197 |
| 2. Randy Moss | 1998-2012 | Vikings, Raiders, Patriots, Titans, 49ers | 156 |
| 3. Terrell Owens | 1996-2010 | 49ers, Eagles, Cowboys, Bills, Bengals | 153 |
| 4. Cris Carter | 1987-2002 | Eagles, Vikings, Dolphins | 130 |
| 5. Marvin Harrison | 1996-2008 | Cots | 128 |
The What-Ifs Of Randy Moss’ Career
And yet, somehow it feels like his career was shortchanged.
What if Moss never got traded to the Raiders in 2005 in what should have been the middle of his prime?
Moss had one of the best starts to a career the league has ever seen, reeling off six straight absolutely bonkers seasons with the Vikings:
1998: 69 receptions for 1,313 yards and an NFL-leading 17 TDs; Pro Bowl, First-Team All-Pro, NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, 3rd in MVP voting
1999: 80-1,413-11; Pro Bowl
2000: 77-1,437-15; Led NFL in receiving TDs; Pro Bowl, First-Team All-Pro
2001: 82-1,233-10
2002: 106-1,347-7; Pro Bowl
2003: 111-1,632-17; Led NFL in receiving TDs, Pro Bowl, First-Team All-Pro
In 2004, a mid-season hamstring injury limited him to 13 games and hampered his production overall as he finished with 49 catches for 767 yards and 13 TDs. And after the season, the Vikings sent Moss to the Raiders for a trade package built around the No. 7 overall pick in the draft that year (a major bust as the team selected WR Troy Williamson to replace Moss.)
Vikings owner Red McCombs was in the process of selling the team that spring and fans grumbled that he shipped Moss out to avoid paying a contract bonus that was due prior to the sale. Others speculated that Moss had worn out his welcome within the team with some of his antic and personality quirks.
Ultimately, it was a bad deal for both the Vikings and for Moss.
The Raider Years
Minnesota, which had made just one playoff appearance in the previous four seasons with Moss, remained mired in mediocrity, while Moss encountered plenty of that himself in Oakland in the form of his new Raiders quarterbacks Kerry Collins, Aaron Brooks and Andrew Walter.
Moss’ production slipped substantially in his two seasons with the Raiders, tallying 60 catches for 1,008 yards and 8 TDs in his Raiders debut and then just 42-553-3 in 13 games in 2006 as Walter and Brooks combined for 6 TDs and 21 INTs.
Still just 29 years old that season, it wasn’t that Moss lost a step — it’s that he lost the infrastructure around him to maximize his abilities.
He proved as much when the Raiders traded him to the Patriots for a fourth-round draft pick — one of the great trade heists of the last two decades.
Returning To Form In New England
Moss was immediately rejuvenated in New England with future Hall of Fame QB Tom Brady, delivering one of the most legendary seasons by a wide receiver in league history with 98 catches for 1,493 yards and 23 receiving TDs, which still stands as the NFL single-season record.
Moss helped the 2007 Patriots lead the league in scoring at 36.8 points per game (third-highest in NFL history) and go 16-0 to complete the first undefeated regular season finish in the NFL since the 1972 Miami Dolphins. That remains the only unbeaten season since the league expanded the schedule to 16 (and later 17) games.
Even if those Patriots got stunned in a Super Bowl loss to the Giants to end the perfect season, that will forever go down as one of the league’s most memorable teams.
So just imagine if Moss had spent more of his prime paired with Brady …
Moss had two more solid enough seasons in New England — but not like that 2007 campaign — before growing frustrated over his contract and demanding a trade.
Little did anyone know at the time, but Moss’ career was heading toward an abrupt end.
The Beginning Of The End For Moss
The Patriots dealt him back to the Vikings early in the 2010 season, but he lasted just four games there before publicly calling out coach Brad Childress and promptly getting waived from the team. The Tennessee Titans claimed Moss, but he struggled to regain his old form in eight games there and then retired, sitting out the 2011 season.
A one-year return in 2012 with the San Francisco 49ers at 35 years old, in which he caught 28 passes for 434 yards and 3 TDs, would be the end of a storied career that nonetheless left a lot more on the table.
Replace the two Raiders seasons in Moss’ prime and resolve the tensions that led to his unceremonious departure from New England and the demise that followed, and it’s wild to think what the final stats might have been.
But as is, there’s still no denying Moss’ place on the very, very short list of greatest receivers of all-time — arguably as high as No. 2 behind only the unparalleled Rice.
That makes Moss an easy pick here as the greatest No. 84, which he wore for the entirety of his Vikings tenure (both stints) and with the Titans and 49ers. (Moss wore No. 18 in Oakland and 81 for the Patriots.)
As an honorable mention, fellow Hall of Fame receiver Sterling Sharpe wore 84 throughout his career with the Green Bay Packers from 1988-94.
