Randy Moss: Why the Comeback-Minded WR Won’t Land in the NFC North
In the slowed news cycle leading up to NFL free agency, the scouting combine and the draft, there’s one major story making the rounds: the comeback intentions of wide receiver Randy Moss.
Moss, who “retired” prior to the 2011 season, had a strange year the last time we saw him in action, starting 2010 with the New England Patriots who then parted ways with him, only for Moss to return to one of his former teams, the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings then ditched Moss after a few unprofessional outbursts, including a loud complaint about catering, and he ended the season with the Tennessee Titans where he caught just six passes for 80 yards in eight games.
Since announcing his return to the game, three teams have contacted his agent, Joel Segal. Though the identities of those teams haven’t been made public, it’s my guess that none of those calls came from teams in the NFC North.
A third stint in Minnesota is completely out of the question; it’s clear that he burned that bridge in 2010 and there’s no repairing it. The Green Bay Packers have a glut of high-level receivers and don’t need whatever it is that Moss could bring to their team. And even if they were in bad shape at receiver, Moss wouldn’t be the answer.
The same goes for the Detroit Lions, who neither need Moss’ services nor the potential headaches that bringing him on the roster could cause.
That leaves just the Chicago Bears, a team desperate for a playmaking veteran of Moss’ pedigree, a team that could potentially be a good fit for him in his comeback year. However, I don’t see the Bears making a concerted effort to sign him even if he seems an intriguing prospect at this time.
The Bears need a veteran, but one with more years left in him—someone along the lines of a Mario Manningham, Robert Meachem or Vincent Jackson—not a 35-year-old who spent 2011 not playing football.
Plus, there’s no indication that Moss is capable of playing the game at a high level. All we have to go on are his rambling UStream videos and his word; we haven’t seen him work out, let alone catch a pass.
Though he’s likely in better physical shape and has more left in the tank than Terrell Owens, who tried to come back himself in 2011, Moss’ best days are more than likely behind him.
Ultimately, Moss may serve to be a quick fix for a team needing a player with his experience on a one-year basis, but the Bears need stability and experience, and that’s not something Moss can provide them this year.
Consider Moss a non-option in the NFC North; a team may choose to sign him, but it’s clear these four won’t be one of them.
