In honor of football starting this week, here is the first football entry of Remember When.
Randy Moss is arguably the greatest wide receiver in NFL history. Throughout his 14-year career, he had 982 receptions for 15,292 yards and 156 touchdowns. He was also a six-time pro bowler, a four-time first-team all-pro, Offensive rookie of the year in 1998, and comeback player of the year in 2007. He even holds NFL records for most touchdowns in a season and for most touchdowns by a rookie. These stats and accolades were good enough to get him elected into the Hall of Fame in 2018.
He also has many iconic moments. Every Thanksgiving his famous stat line of three receptions, 163 yards, and three touchdowns is brought up. Or his interview when he popularized the say straight cash homie. When it comes to teams people think of his time on the Vikings and the Patriots. However, people seem to forget his final season in the NFL when he played for the San Francisco 49ers. That’s where our story begins.
Randy Moss’s Time in San Francisco
Our story begins a couple of years before Moss went to the Bay Area. Back in 2010, Moss spent time with three teams. He started the season in New England, but days after the season started he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings. This was a homecoming for the wide receiver as Minnesota was the team that originally drafted him. However, this reunion was short-lived as he was placed on waivers a month later. The Titans would claim him and that’s where he would finish the season. It was Moss’s worst season as he finished with a career-low in both receptions and receiving yards. This season caused him to retire at the end of 2010.
After sitting out the entire 2011 season, Moss caught the itch to play again. On his 35th birthday, he announced that he was going to attempt to make a comeback. Someone who was very interested in the former pro bowler was 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh. After a private workout, Moss agreed to a one-year deal to become a Niner.
2012 Season
Moss’s time in San Fransisco started with a bang. He would have four receptions for 47 yards and score a touchdown. That touchdown would move him past Terrell Owens for the second-most touchdowns of all time. However, after this game, his production would begin to decline. Through weeks two through nine he would only have more than two receptions twice.
However, that would change in Week 10. That’s when 49ers starting quarterback Alex Smith would go down with a concussion. The injury along with the play of Colin Kaepernick would cause Smith to ride the bench the rest of the season. This change of quarterback was just what Moss needed. With Kaepernick under center, Moss found a lot more consistency. He would have two or more receptions in each game to end the season.
He would continue to produce in the playoffs. Nothing like he was when he was with Minnesota or New England, but still was a threat in the passing game. He would continue to put up two or more receptions in each game during the Niners’ playoff run. Sure two receptions don’t seem like much, however, these receptions were for more than ten yards. His longest came in Super Bowl 47 when he caught a 32-yard pass. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to give the Niners a win as they would lose to the Ravens. A bitter note to end Moss’s historic career.
Thanks for reading! If you have any players’ suggestions please drop them in the comments. Credit for my feature image goes to Kevin C. Cox. You can find more sports content at Belly Up Sports and follow me on Twitter/X.
