Randy Moss Randy Gene Moss ( born February 13 , 1977 ) is a retired American football wide receiver He has played 14 seasons in the National Football League ( NFL ) . He holds the NFL single - season touchdown reception record ( 23 , set in 2007 ) , the NFL single - season touchdown reception record for a rookie ( 17 , in 1998 ) , and is second on the NFL all - time regular season touchdown reception list with 156 . Moss played college football for Marshall University , and twice earned All - America honors . He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft , where he played for seven years before a trade in 2005 brought him to the Oakland Raiders . On April 29 , 2007 , Moss was traded to the New England Patriots for a fourth - round draft pick . On October 6 , 2010 , Moss returned to the Vikings in a trade from the Patriots . However , his stint in Minnesota was short - lived , as he was waived by the team less than a month later , and claimed by the Tennessee Titans . After sitting out the 2011 season , Moss signed a one - year contract with the 49ers for the 2012 season then opted to retire prior to the 2013 season Early years . Moss was born and grew up in Rand , West Virginia . He attended DuPont High School , one of two schools that later consolidated into Riverside High School , where he excelled in football , basketball , baseball and track . On the football field , Moss led the DuPont Panthers to back - to - back state championships in 1992 , 1993 , and 1994 . He was a star at wide receiver , but also played defensive back , returned kickoffs and punts , and was the team ' s kicker and punter . In 1994 , he was honored as the West Virginia Football Player of the Year . " Parade " magazine named him to their annual All - American high school football team in 1995 and in 2009 named him one of the 50 greatest high school football players of all time . In addition to playing football at DuPont , Moss was twice named West Virginia Player of the Year in basketball ( 1993 , 1994 ) , where he was a teammate of future NBA player Jason Williams . As a sophomore in 1992 , at the age of 14 years old , he ran for the track team and was the West Virginia state champion in the 100 and 200 meters with times of 10 . 94 and 21 . 95 , respectively . This was the only year he competed on the track team . He also played center field for the baseball team . On March 23 , 1995 , Moss backed a friend in a hallway fight against a white student who had allegedly used racist comments towards Randy ' s friend . Moss was initially charged with a felony for kicking the student , but it was later reduced to a misdemeanor . On August 1 , 1995 , Moss pled guilty to two counts of misdemeanor battery and was sentenced to 30 days behind bars at the South Central Regional Jail in Charleston , West Virginia . He served 3 days in jail starting that night and would be required to serve the remaining 27 days within the following 18 months , after he completed his freshman year in college . Moss was expelled from DuPont and completed his education at Cabell Alternative School . College career . Moss ' s dream was to play for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish , but he also considered going to Ohio State , where his half - brother , Eric , had played offensive tackle . Former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz said " Randy Moss was the best high school football player I ' ve ever seen . " Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden said " He was as good as Deion Sanders . Deion ' s my measuring stick for athletic ability , and this kid was just a bigger Deion . " After originally signing a letter of intent to play college football with Notre Dame in 1995 , Moss took part in a racially charged fight at his high school that left one person hospitalized . Notre Dame subsequently denied his enrollment application , but this did not stop another high - profile college football program from giving him a chance . Notre Dame officials suggested he attend Florida State due to the reputation of its coach , Bobby Bowden , for handling troubled players . However , because of his signed letter of intent at Notre Dame , the NCAA considered him a transfer student , which made him ineligible to play for the Seminoles in the 1995 football season . Freshman ( redshirt ) ( 1995 ) . He was red - shirted in his freshman season . While at Florida State , Moss ran a 4 . 25 40 - yard dash , with only Deion Sanders being faster ( 4 . 23 ) . He also broke LaShawn Merritt 55 metres record ( 6 . 33 seconds ) , with a time of 6 . 32 seconds . Freshman ( 1996 ) . In 1996 , while serving his 30 - day jail sentence in a work - release program from 1995 , Moss tested positive for marijuana , thus violating his probation , and was dismissed from Florida State . He served an additional 60 days in jail for the probation violation . Ultimately , Moss transferred to Marshall University , about an hour ' s drive from his home . Because Marshall was then a Division I - AA school , NCAA rules allowed him to transfer there without losing any further eligibility . In 1996 , he set the NCAA Division I - AA records for the most games with a touchdown catch in a season ( 11 ) , most consecutive games with a touchdown catch ( 13 ) , most touchdown passes caught in a season ( 28 – tying Jerry Rice ' s 1984 record ) , and most receiving yards gained by a freshman in a season ( 1709 on 78 catches ) , a record which still stands . Moss was also the leading kickoff returner in Division I - AA on the season , with 612 total yards and a 34 . 0 yard average . Marshall went undefeated and won the Division I - AA title in its last season before moving to Division I - A . Sophomore ( 1997 ) . In the 1997 season , Marshall ' s first in Division I - A , Moss and future New York Jets quarterback Chad Pennington were the centerpiece of an explosive offense that led the Thundering Herd to the Mid - American Conference title . Moss caught 26 touchdown passes that season , at the time a Division I - A record , and was a first - team All - American . The first game of the season saw Moss pick up right where he left off in 1996 . Facing Army , Moss caught 5 balls for 186 yards and two touchdowns . One touchdown went for 79 yards in which Pennington lobbed the ball down the left sideline . Moss leaped over an Army defender to snag the ball out of the air at the 40 - yard line while the safety crashed into his teammate , knocking both men down . Moss galloped the last 50 yards untouched for the score . The other touchdown reception was his career long of 90 yards that came on a short screen pass on third down . Moss caught the ball on the right side of the field at his own 8 - yard line , ran past 3 defenders in the middle of the field at the 15 - yard line , hurdled two defenders coming from both sides of the left hash marks at the 25 - yard line , then raced past the last defender at the 50 - yard line before finally seeing daylight down the left sideline . A week later , Moss posted his third career 200 + yard receiving game , against Kent State . Two weeks after that was his fourth and final 200 + yard game in college , recording 13 catches for 205 yards and a Marshall single - game record of 5 touchdown receptions against Ball State . In the 1997 Ford Motor City Bowl against Ole Miss , Moss added his 26th touchdown of the season on Marshall ' s first offensive play from scrimmage . He streaked down the right sideline and caught an 80 - yard touchdown pass from Pennington to tie the score at 7 – 7 . NCAA rules at the time did not allow for statistics from bowl games to be combined with regular season stats , so the touchdown did not officially increase his season touchdown record . The two teams traded the lead several times in the fourth quarter before Ole Miss running back Deuce McAllister scored on a 1 - yard touchdown run with 31 seconds to play , giving them a 34 – 31 lead . Trying to pull out a last - second win , Pennington connected with Moss on a 40 - yard pass on the final play of the game , but he was stripped of the ball as time expired . Moss finished the game with 6 receptions for 173 yards . Moss finished his career at Marshall having scored at least one touchdown in all 28 games that he played . He won the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the nation ' s leading wide receiver , and was a finalist for the 1997 Heisman Trophy ( finishing fourth in the balloting , behind Ryan Leaf , Peyton Manning , and Charles Woodson , who won the award ) . Professional career . 1998 NFL Draft . After this season , Moss decided to go pro . He did not have a good off season . Moss ' past issues were laid out for all to see , and questions of his character began to rise . Moss was expected to be the most watched contestant of the NFL Combine , but he did not show up . Rumors swirled that the reason for his absence was to avoid the drug test . Moss opted to work out at the Marshall pro day , where scouts from nearly every NFL team came to watch him work out . Moss turned in a legendary performance , running the 40 yard dash in just 4 . 25 seconds , despite running into the wind . He also posted a 39 inch vertical leap while catching nearly every pass thrown . Scouts for the Dallas Cowboys , who had the 11th overall pick and were greatly interested in Moss , told owner Jerry Jones that Moss was the greatest individual prospect they had ever seen . During the 1998 NFL Draft , Moss , who was projected as a high first - round pick , was taken by the Minnesota Vikings with the 21st overall pick after a number of NFL clubs — even those in need of a WR — were concerned with Moss ' well - documented legal problems . Before the draft Moss was quoted as saying teams that pass on him " will regret it once they see what kind of a player I am and what kind of guy I really am . " The team most often cited for passing on Moss is the Dallas Cowboys . Moss grew up a Cowboys fan and wanted to play for the Cowboys . The Cowboys wanted Moss , but because of many off - field incidents of their own , team owner and GM Jerry Jones did not feel the team could draft Moss . Moss felt that the Cowboys lied to him because they had told him they would draft him . On draft day , 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 . Dallas star receiver Michael Irvin even called to apologize to Moss , because Irvin ' s own off - field problems were a main reason Moss was not drafted by Dallas . After the draft , Moss made a point of beating the Cowboys any time he faced them , getting his first opportunity to do so right away in Week Thirteen of his rookie season . In a game held at the Cowboys Stadium , Moss torched the Dallas Cowboys with a 3 - TD 163 yard performance . After the draft , Moss signed a 4 year , $ 4 . 5 million contract that included an additional $ 4 million in bonuses and incentives . As part of the deal , he received a $ 2 million signing bonus . Moss originally wore # 18 in training camp ( a number he would eventually wear for Oakland ) but switched to the more conventional # 84 before the preseason began . Minnesota Vikings . 1998 season . In 1998 , Moss helped the Vikings to become the number one - ranked offense , scoring a then - NFL record 556 points . The Vikings opened the season with a 31 – 7 rout against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Moss ' first NFL game would also be his first multi - touchdown game as he recorded 4 receptions for 95 yards and two touchdowns . His first NFL reception came on the third play of the game on an 11 - yard pass from Brad Johnson . His first touchdown was a 48 yard acrobatic grab over defensive back Floyd Young late in the first quarter , in which Moss juggled the ball 3 times before securing it for the score . He added a 31 - yard touchdown reception on the Vikings first possession of the second quarter to give the Vikings a 21 – 0 lead . His first Monday Night Football game came in Week 5 against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field . He had 5 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 . He also had a 75 - yard touchdown catch on the Vikings first possession of the game that was nullified due to an offensive holding penalty . They finished with a 15 – 1 record and were poised to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl . However , the Atlanta Falcons stunned the Vikings by winning the NFC Championship Game 30 – 27 in overtime , with Gary Anderson missing a late 4th - quarter field goal that would have iced the game , after finishing with the first ever perfect regular season by a kicker in NFL history . At the end of the 1998 regular season , Moss was named a 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 . 1999 season . In 1999 , Moss had another impressive season , catching 80 passes for 1 , 413 yards and 11 touchdowns . He went on to record five receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown in the Vikings 27 – 10 NFC wildcard playoff win over the Dallas Cowboys . Minnesota lost in the divisional round to the St . Louis Rams 49 – 37 , despite Moss catching nine passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns . Moss was fined $ 40 , 000 , which was later reduced to $ 25 , 000 , during that game due to squirting an NFL referee with a water bottle . There was a stipulation that he would have to pay the difference in addition to any other fine if he had another run - in with the league . Moss earned his second straight Pro Bowl appearance , and turned in a record breaking performance . He had 9 receptions for a Pro Bowl record 212 yards and was given the game ' s Most Valuable Player award . Randy stated Deion Sanders " shut me down , I was garbage lining up against him " 2000 season . The 2000 season featured second year quarterback Daunte Culpepper leading the team . Culpepper had been the team ' s first round draft pick in 1999 ; with a pick they received from the Redskins for QB Brad Johnson . He had been selected largely due to his extremely strong arm , which the team believed was perfectly suited for Moss ' s deep routes . The decision proved correct . Culpepper was a rookie sensation , the Vikings started 7 - 0 , and Moss was a leading MVP candidate . For the second time in three seasons , Moss punished the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas on Thanksgiving Day , including a spectacular 2nd half touchdown in which Moss caught the ball with his entire body out of bounds , aside from his toes . The play would be the feature shot in NFL commercials for years to come . Moss finished the season with a career high 1 , 437 yards and league leading 15 touchdown catches . In doing so , he became the youngest and fastest player to ever catch over 3 , 000 yards and 45 touchdowns , earning him his 3rd consecutive trip to the pro bowl , and 2nd selection to the All Pro team . The Vikings would make it to the NFC Championship game , only to be blown out 41 – 0 by the New York Giants . 2001 season . In the offseason , Moss and his agent Danté DiTrapano began negotiating a new contract with the Minnesota Vikings . He was scheduled to earn 3 . 5 million dollars in 2001 . But Moss , who was entering the final year of the rookie contract he signed in 1998 , was seeking a long term deal that would make him the highest paid player in the NFL . His agent said , " We want to break the tradition of quarterbacks being the highest - paid players . " One option the Vikings had would be to apply the franchise tag after the season ended , but sources stated that Moss would request a trade if that happened because it would still be less than what he could command on the open market . Just prior to the start of training camp in July , Vikings owner Red McCombs signed Moss to an 8 - year , $ 75 million contract extension . The extension included a $ 10 million signing bonus and another $ 8 million in guarantees . Despite finishing the season with 10 touchdowns , Moss failed to make the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career . 2002 season . After replacing Dennis Green on an interim basis to end the 2001 season , Mike Tice was officially named head coach on January 10 , 2002 . One of the strategies the Vikings first - year head coach came up with was a formula to get Randy Moss the ball more often . Coach Tice called it the Randy Ratio . It was an effort on the coaches part to throw 40 % of the passes to Moss as a way to keep him involved in the offense more than he had been in the 2001 season when he had stretches in games where he was being shut out , and partly to use more game clock by sustaining long drives to give the Vikings defense a chance to rest . An assistant coach would stand on the sidelines during games and track how many times Moss had been thrown to , and then inform Tice of the percentages so that he is always aware of it . In the 2001 season , the Vikings record was 4 – 1 when Moss had 40 % of the passes thrown his direction , and 1 – 10 in other games . The strategy was a response to the ' Randy Rules , ' as Vikings receiver Chris Walsh called them . The Randy Rules , similar to the Jordan Rules , were a defensive strategy that teams employed when facing the Vikings to try and eliminate or reduce Randy ' s impact on the game , and to prevent Moss from being matched up one - on - one with defenders because of his ability to burn them deep or outjump them in single coverage . Opposing teams would routinely double cover Moss with techniques such as having a cornerback attempt to jam him at the line of scrimmage , having a corner defend underneath with a safety defending against the deep ball , having a zone defense roll to Moss ' side of the field , and assigning " spies " to follow Moss everywhere he went . Coach Tice discussed the strategy , explaining that Moss would be running more short and intermediate routes and fewer deep patterns . In training camp , Moss worked specifically on 12 new routes that he had rarely run in his first 4 NFL seasons , such as crossing patterns over the middle of the field and hook routes . Coach Tice said , " When we say Randy Ratio , everybody in the league thinks , ' OK , now they ' re going to throw the ball down the field to Randy more and more and more . ' That ' s so far from the truth . In fact , we ' ll probably throw the ball down the field to Randy this year even less . " The Randy Ratio did not last very long , as Tice scrapped the idea midway through the 2002 season . Randy Moss said " I didn ' t really care much about the Randy Ratio when it was brought up . I just wanted to win . " While Moss caught a career high 106 passes , he also had a career low 7 touchdown receptions , and the Vikings struggled to a 6 – 10 record . Tice suggested after the season that it was a mistake to inform opponents about his offensive gameplan , but that it was a tool " to motivate [ Moss ] and say he was the guy . " 2003 season . Moss ' fortunes took a better turn on the football field during the 2003 regular season , where he became the second wide receiver in history ( behind Jerry Rice in 1995 ) to play more than 12 games ( he played 16 ) while averaging over 100 yards and one touchdown per contest . He finished with 111 receptions for 1 , 632 yards and 17 touchdowns . All three numbers either tied or became a new personal best . Vikings finished 9 - 7 for the season . In the offseason , he attended the Vikings strength & conditioning program and added 5 pounds of muscle to his frame . 2004 season . Moss started the season strong catching 8 touchdowns in his first 5 games of the season . However , he sustained a hamstring injury to his right leg against New Orleans in Week 6 that hampered him for the next five weeks . He played in Week 7 against Tennessee , but had no receptions in a game for the first time in his career . He also played the following week against the Giants , but again recorded no receptions and was used mainly as a decoy . The injury eventually sidelined him for 3 straight weeks . He returned to the lineup in Week 12 with a touchdown catch against the Jacksonville Jaguars . Even though he finished the season with 13 touchdowns in 13 games , he posted career lows in receptions ( 49 ) and receiving yards ( 767 ) , becoming the first season in his career that he failed to reach the 1 , 000 yard mark . Moss made the Pro Bowl five times in his seven - year career with the Minnesota Vikings ( 1998 – 2000 , 2002 , and 2003 ) . Oakland Raiders ( 2005 - 06 ) . On March 2 , 2005 , Moss was traded to the Oakland Raiders for linebacker Napoleon Harris and the Raiders ' first ( 7th overall , which Minnesota parlayed into WR Troy Williamson ) and seventh - round picks in the NFL draft . Adding a player of Moss ' caliber generated optimism in Oakland , but the Raiders ' poor play continued after acquiring him . Nagging injuries limited his production , as well as what some saw as his unwillingness to play . He surpassed the 1 , 000 mark on the final day of the 2005 season , finishing the year with 1 , 005 receiving yards on 60 catches . However , Moss only managed 553 yards on 42 balls in 2006 . New England Patriots . 2007 season . There were rumors leading up to the 2007 NFL Draft that the Raiders were eager to part ways with Randy Moss through a trade . First - year Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin went so far as to contact the division rival Denver Broncos to " gauge interest " , but the Patriots and Green Bay Packers were the two teams most interested in acquiring Moss . Packers QB Brett Favre , who once said , " There is no one in this league who puts fear in people more than Randy Moss , " tried to persuade team management to trade for him , but a deal that both sides could agree to did not get done . During the first day of the NFL Draft , the Patriots and Raiders discussed the trade several times before reaching an agreement . Bill Belichick spoke with Moss for the first time about the possibility of joining the Patriots at 2 : 30AM early Sunday Morning . Moss then boarded a plane and arrived in Boston later that morning on April 29 and was required to pass a team administered physical . Once he was cleared by Patriots officials , a trade was completed that sent Randy Moss to New England in exchange for a fourth - round selection in the 2007 NFL Draft . The draft pick had been acquired by the Patriots the previous day from the San Francisco 49ers , and the Raiders selected John Bowie . One of the conditions of the trade was that Randy Moss would have to restructure his contract for salary cap reasons . Just hours before the Moss trade was completed , New England quarterback Tom Brady converted $ 5 . 28 million of his 2007 base salary into a signing bonus that is spread out over the remaining portion of his contract so that it could free up cap room . This enabled the Patriots to absorb Moss ' incoming contract under the salary cap . Moss had two years remaining on his current deal and was scheduled to earn $ 9 . 75 million in 2007 and $ 11 . 25 million in 2008 . Once the Patriots had Moss on their roster , he quickly agreed to a new one - year contract to replace his old one . The new deal gave him a $ 500 , 000 signing bonus , a base salary of $ 2 . 5 million , and the ability to earn an additional $ 1 . 75 million in incentives . " I ’ m still in awe that I ’ m a part of this organization , " Moss said , clearly thrilled to join a team that could contend for the Super Bowl and to work with Coach Belichick . " I think that he ’ s the kind of coach that can motivate me . He has a proven track record . " In the first week of training camp , during an 11 - on - 11 passing drill , Moss suffered a hamstring injury to his left leg . As a precaution , the injury prevented Moss from participating in any preseason games and he missed much of the rest of camp . His first action in a Patriots uniform came against the New York Jets in Week 1 . He quickly quieted critics who claimed that his skills had deteriorated by hauling in 9 receptions for 181 yards , including a 51 - yard touchdown pass in which he ran past 3 Jets defenders . On November 4 , 2007 , James Black , NFL Editor for Yahoo ! Sports wrote , " Every week , in addition to out - leaping at least one defender for a touchdown , [ Moss ] keeps making incredible one - handed grabs that make you mutter , ' How the heck did he come up with that ? ' " Two weeks later , he added a career high 4 touchdown receptions in a single game against Buffalo . On December 29 , the Patriots defeated the New York Giants 38 – 35 , finishing their regular season with a perfect 16 – 0 record . Moss caught two touchdown passes for a total of 23 , breaking the single season record of 22 touchdown receptions previously set by Jerry Rice ( in 12 games in the strike - shortened 1987 season ) . On the same play , Tom Brady broke Peyton Manning ' s single season record set in 2004 with his 50th touchdown pass . Moss recorded 98 catches for 1 , 493 yards in 2007 , the highest yardage total in Patriots franchise history and the third - highest total number of catches , after teammate Wes Welker ' s 112 catches that same season and Troy Brown ' s 101 in 2001 . He also earned his sixth Pro Bowl selection . His 2007 season featured touchdowns in 13 of 16 games ( including 8 multi - touchdown games ) , nine 100 - yard games , and six touchdown receptions of 40 or more yards . Super Bowl XLII . Despite his record breaking 2007 season , Moss was relatively quiet in the playoffs going 2 consecutive games without a touchdown for the first time all season . However , in Super Bowl XLII he scored the go ahead touchdown with 2 : 42 left in the fourth quarter on a 6 - yard pass from Tom Brady . However , this was still not enough to enable the heavily favored Patriots to achieve the first 19 – 0 undefeated season , as Eli Manning drove the Giants down the field and connected with Plaxico Burress for what proved to be the game winner . 2008 season . On February 28 , 2008 , Moss became a free agent after the Patriots decided not to place the franchise tag on Moss . Although the Dallas Cowboys , Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers were rumored to have interest in Moss , he decided to return to the Patriots , signing a three - year , $ 27 million deal on March 3 , 2008 . The contract included a $ 12 million signing bonus , and a total of $ 14 . 1 million guaranteed . The first game of the 2008 season saw Brady suffer a torn ACL in his left knee while attempting a pass to Randy Moss . The play occurred in the first half against the Kansas City Chiefs when safety Bernard Pollard dove at Brady ' s leg while in his throwing motion . Moss described what he saw on the play by saying " any time you see something like that , that looks foul , it looks dirty , it opens your eyes . So , me personally , it looked dirty . " Matt Cassel replaced Brady for the rest of the season . In 2008 , Moss hauled in 69 catches for 1 , 008 yards and 11 touchdowns despite losing quarterback Tom Brady in the first game of the season . 2009 season . In the opener of 2009 , Moss caught a career - high 12 passes for 141 yards in a comeback 25 – 24 victory over the Bills . In Week 5 against the Denver Broncos , at the end of the first half , Moss caught his first pass of the day , an interception , the first of his career . In a snowy Week 6 game against the winless Tennessee Titans , Moss caught three touchdown passes from Tom Brady , two of them in the 2nd quarter as Brady set a record for most touchdown passes in a single quarter with five . This was Moss ' s 34th multi - touchdown game , and his 8th game with 3 or more touchdowns . During the Patriots bye week , Belichick stated that Moss " is the smartest receiver he ' s ever been around . " He compared Moss ' ability to see the field and anticipate plays to that of Tom Brady , and to Lawrence Taylor who Belichick coached with the New York Giants . He said Moss not only knows what he ' s doing on a play , but what everybody else on the field is doing as well . " That ' s what makes them special . They just have a sixth , seventh sense , " Belichick said . In Week 9 against the Miami Dolphins Moss added 6 catches for 147 yards and 1 touchdown . The touchdown reception was the 140th of his career , which moved him into a tie for 2nd place with Terrell Owens and he now only trails Jerry Rice who has 197 . The following week , in a prime time Sunday night matchup against the Indianapolis Colts , Moss had 179 yards and two touchdowns , including a 63 - yard touchdown in the 2nd quarter that moved him ahead of Terrell Owens for sole possession of 2nd place in career touchdown receptions . In the same game , he became just the 11th player in NFL history with 900 + receptions and the 7th player to reach 14 , 000 + career receiving yards . He finished the season with 83 receptions for 1 , 264 yards and 13 touchdowns . He was named to the 2010 Pro Bowl as a replacement for injured teammate Wes Welker . 2010 season . In the week leading up to the Patriots ' 2010 season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals , Moss , who was entering the final year of his contract told CBS Sports that he " did not feel wanted " in New England absent a contract extension offer . Moss would go on to catch 5 passes for 59 yards in Week 1 . After the game , Moss told reporters that it would be his final season with the Patriots . The " Boston Herald " reported weeks later that Moss requested a trade following the game . Moss had two receptions in Week 2 against the New York Jets , including a 34 - yard touchdown that he caught one - handed after beating All - Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis . The following week against the Buffalo Bills , Moss had two more catches , both for touchdowns . His final game in New England came in Week 4 on Monday Night Football against the Miami Dolphins ; he did not record a catch in the game 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 . Return to Minnesota . Two days after the Patriots ' game against Miami , Moss was traded to the Minnesota Vikings , in exchange for the Vikings ' third - round selection ( later used to select Ryan Mallett ) in the 2011 NFL Draft . The Patriots also sent a 2012 seventh - round selection to the Vikings as part of the trade . On November 8 , less than four weeks after being traded to Minnesota , Vikings head coach Brad Childress told Vikings players in a team meeting that Moss was going to be waived by the team , one day after he criticized Childress and teammates in a press conference following the Vikings ' loss to the Patriots at Gillette Stadium . Just before the press conference , Moss reportedly told team owner Zygi Wilf that Childress was unfit to coach in the NFL and should be fired . Wilf reportedly considered firing Childress and keeping Moss , but Moss was officially waived the next day , November 2 . Childress was eventually fired on November 22 . Tennessee Titans . Moss was claimed off waivers by the Tennessee Titans , the only team to submit a claim , on November 3 , 2010 . Moss played eight games with the Titans , starting four . He made six catches for 80 yards and no touchdowns . Moss finished the 2010 season setting career lows in receptions ( 28 ) and receiving yards ( 393 ) . The Tennessee Titans stated that they did not plan to re - sign Moss for the 2011 season . Initial retirement and comeback . On August 1 , 2011 , Moss ' agent , Joel Segal , announced that Randy Moss had decided to retire . On February 13 , 2012 , his 35th birthday , Moss announced that he was coming out of retirement and was ready to play again . In a live video chat with his fans via Ustream , Moss stated , " I wanna play football . Your boy is going to come back here and play some football , so I ' m really excited . I had some things I had to adjust in my life . " San Francisco 49ers . On March 12 , 2012 , Moss signed a one - year contract with the San Francisco 49ers for undisclosed financial terms after a workout with the team ' s head coach and former quarterback , Jim Harbaugh . With Moss signing with San Francisco he becomes the third receiver in NFL history to at least play one season as a 49er and have 150 career receiving touchdowns , along with Terrell Owens ( 153 ) and Jerry Rice ( 197 ) . These three receivers are also the top three of all time in career receiving TD ' s . On September 9 , 2012 , Moss caught his 154th TD thrown by Alex Smith , subsequently passing Terrell Owens for sole possession of 2nd on the all time receiving TD list . He now trails only Jerry Rice . Charity . Moss has participated in , founded , and financed many charitable endeavors since joining the NFL , particularly aimed at helping children . Many times when talking about his charity work , he has said he just looks forward to " seeing smiles . " He has donated clothing and food to needy families , given away free backpacks to Boston area school - children , and hosted autograph signings . He has also bussed children to amusement parks , NBA games , and even NFL games in which he has played . On June 29 , 2005 , he launched the Randy Moss Celebrity Charity Invitational Bass Tournament . The tournament was a one - day event that paired celebrities and corporate sponsors with pro fishermen to raise money for the Smile Network , which is a foundation that provides financial assistance to children with treatable mouth problems , such as cleft palate . The tournaments motto is " fish for a smile . " In 2008 , Moss formed the Links for Learning foundation , which was established to help children in his home state of West Virginia , and to build learning centers for the most needy student populations . In June , he and his former high school teammate Jason Williams hosted the foundations first annual charity golf tournament at the Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Hurricane , West Virginia . In March 2009 , Moss ' foundation made a donation that enabled the Women and Children ’ s Hospital of Charleston , West Virginia to purchase a Starlight Children ' s Foundation ' Fun Center ' for their patients . The ' Fun Center ' is a portable bedside entertainment system equipped with a TV , DVD player , and 22 Nintendo Wii games . On the morning of November 24 , 2009 , Moss flew home to West Virginia to personally hand out Thanksgiving dinners to families in the Charleston area . He stayed only a few hours before having to head back to Massachusetts for a Patriots practice later in the day . Controversy . Marshall plane crash . In a 1997 " Sports Illustrated " article , when discussing the 1970 Marshall plane crash , Randy Moss was quoted as saying , " The plane crash was before my time . I don ' t try to go back in the past and say this football game is for the people in the plane crash . I ' ve seen the burial ground . I went up there and looked at the names . It was a tragedy , but it really wasn ' t nothing big . " Moss said that the quote was taken out of context . Traffic incident . On September 24 , 2002 in downtown Minneapolis , Minnesota , Moss was driving and was preparing to make an illegal turn . A traffic control officer ( Amy Zaccardi ) , noticing what he was about to do , stood in front of his 2002 Lexus car , ordering him to stop . Eyewitness accounts of the event differ at this point , but Moss did not comply with the officer ' s order , and she was bumped by his vehicle and fell to the ground . Moss was arrested , and a search of his vehicle revealed a joint amounting to less than a gram of marijuana in his ashtray . Initially charged with felony Suspicion of Assault with a Deadly Weapon and a misdemeanor marijuana possession , Moss spent the night in jail and was released the following morning . Moss pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor traffic violation and was ordered to pay a $ 1 , 200 fine and perform 40 hours of community service . While the criminal charges were thus disposed of , the civil lawsuit filed by the traffic control officer brought a substantial penalty fine " in the low to mid six figures " . Moss claimed that the joint was not his , and that he had let friends use his car prior to the accident . Leaving the field during a game . During the last game of the 2004 regular season against the Washington Redskins and with two seconds remaining on the game clock , Moss walked off the field and into the locker room ; critics criticized Moss for quitting on his team . Moss stated afterward that he did not think Minnesota , who ended up losing 21 – 18 to Washington , would recover the onside kick . Playoff fully clothed mooning incident . On January 9 , 2005 , the Minnesota Vikings traveled to division rival Green Bay to take on the heavily favored Packers in an . Moss finished the game with 4 catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns in the 31 – 17 win . After the second score , Moss trotted to the end zone goalpost and , facing away from the crowd , feigned pulling down his pants to moon the Green Bay fans . Days later , the NFL fined him $ 10 , 000 , finding it " unsportsmanlike " and " offensive " during the playoffs . However , then - Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy , the former Vikings defensive coordinator , explained Moss ' action by pointing out that Packers fans are infamous for actually mooning the buses of departing opponents after a loss , unlike Moss ' fully clothed imitation . NFL on Fox announcer Joe Buck called it a " disgusting act " . Marijuana use . In April 1996 , Randy Moss smoked a joint just prior to turning himself into jail . He was scheduled to finish the remainder of his 30 - day sentence for misdemeanor battery while in high school . During his first week in jail , Moss was given a drug test that came back positive . He was placed in solitary confinement for a week and had 60 days attached to his 27 - day sentence . Bobby Bowden revoked his scholarship and Moss was dismissed from Florida State University for the failed drug test . Moss tested positive in 2001 for marijuana under the NFL ' s substance abuse program and was subject to additional random drug screening for two years . A first time violation of the NFL ' s drug policy can result in up to 10 tests per month . Moss has not failed an NFL drug test since , and was rotated out of the program after two years . In August 2005 , during an interview with Bryant Gumbel , Moss admitted that he has smoked marijuana during his NFL career " every blue moon . " When asked whether he still used marijuana currently , Moss replied " I might . I might have fun . And , you know , hopefully . . . I won ' t get into any trouble by the NFL by saying that , you know . I have had fun throughout my years and , you know , predominantly in the offseason . " The interview drew criticism from the league office , and his agent tried to spin it that his words were taken out of context . In response , Moss said " That was really me talking in the past tense of way back in the beginning of my career and my childhood – especially in high school and college . " Lack of effort . On November 14 , 2006 , Moss was honored for his success in college as a kick returner by having an award named after him , becoming only one of two black athletes ( along with John Mackey ) so honored . During the press conference , Moss responded to questions about his dropped passes and lackluster effort in several games , saying " Maybe because I ' m unhappy and I ' m not too much excited about what ' s going on , so , my concentration and focus level tend to go down sometimes when I ' m in a bad mood . " Days later , he reiterated his unhappiness with losing games and being a member of the Raiders on his weekly segment with Fox Sports Radio , saying , " I might want to look forward to moving somewhere else next year to have another start and really feel good about going out here and playing football . " On May 15 , 2007 , more than two weeks after the trade to New England , Moss was criticized by his former Raiders coaches . His former offensive coordinator , Tom Walsh , who was fired from the Raiders after Oakland ' s 2 – 14 losing season , said of Moss , " Randy Moss is a player whose skills are diminishing , and he ' s in denial of those eroding skills . . . Randy was a great receiver , but he lacked the work ethic and the desire to cultivate any skills that would compensate for what he was losing physically later in his career . " Walsh also reported that Moss told him , " ' I ' m too old to practice on Wednesday and Thursday , but I ' m not too old to play on Sunday . ' " However , Moss stated the losing seasons on the Oakland Raiders negatively affected his playing and discouraged him during the team ' s practice : " . . . Losing sometimes can get contagious , but as a player I can ' t let that settle in , and I think that ' s one of the things that bothered me [ in Oakland ] . I didn ' t want it to set in and it didn ' t set in . It was just really nerve - racking that it was hard for me to win . " In 2009 , after a 20 – 10 win over the Carolina Panthers , Panthers cornerback Chris Gamble and safety Chris Harris accused Moss of giving up during the game . Gamble claimed Moss " gives up a lot " and that he " laid it down during the game " , while Harris said " [ Moss ] kind of doesn ' t run the routes the way they ' re supposed to be run . If you get a jam on him , he ' ll ease up . . . . If he can ' t get it going , he gets out of sync . " Moss caught 1 pass for 16 yards , fumbled the ball once , and dropped a pass , as well as had a ball thrown at him picked off during the game . In response , Bill Belichick stated , " My response would be that ' s a lot of conversation coming from a team that just lost another game . " Tom Brady noted that Gamble had many plays made on him as well . Dating violence allegations . On January 15 , 2008 , Orlando - based radio station WDBO reported that Moss " ha [ d ] been hit with a temporary injunction for protection against dating violence . According to the affidavit Moss committed a battery upon Rachelle Washington , causing serious injury , and then refused to allow her to seek medical attention . The affidavit out of Broward County reveals Moss cannot come within 500 feet of the victim and cannot use or possess firearms . The next day , in a locker room press conference , Moss claimed the woman was simply looking for money " over an accident , " because her lawyer came to his lawyer , threatening a lawsuit , and asking for money to settle before she went public to the media . Moss stated he had known Washington for about eleven years . He also stated in his defense that he has never assaulted a woman in his entire life , and asked that the media and fans " find out the facts " before " rush [ ing ] to judgment . " Moreover , Moss ' lawyer , in an e - mail to the " Boston Globe " accused the woman ' s lawyer of " blatant threats and attempts to extort money " from Moss . On March 3 , 2008 , Rachelle Washington filed papers with the Broward County Circuit Court clerk ' s office requesting that the restraining order be dissolved and the case closed . No criminal charges were ever filed in the incident . Personal life . Moss ' parents are Maxine Moss and Randy Pratt . Moss has little contact with his father . He has a sister named Lutisia and a brother Eric , who had a short stint in the NFL as an offensive lineman with the Minnesota Vikings . Moss has four children with his girlfriend , Libby Offutt ( two daughters , Sydney and Senali , and two sons , Thaddeus and Montigo ) . Thaddeus is currently a tight end / defensive end for Lincoln ( R . I . ) High . Sydney is a basketball player at NCAA Division III college Thomas More College and set the D3 record for points . Upon his release from the 49ers , Moss was hired as an analyst for Fox Sports 1 ' s " Fox Football Daily " show . Randy Moss Motorsports . On April 29 , 2008 , Moss announced the formation of Randy Moss Motorsports , an auto racing team in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series . In July 2008 , Moss announced that he had bought a 50 percent share in Morgan - Dollar Motorsports , with the team ' s # 46 entry switching to # 81 . However , the team was reportedly shut down in 2012 , according to Truck Series reporter Ray Dunlap . Inta Juice . Moss discovered the juice and smoothie concept Inta Juice while playing in Minnesota . He became so enamored with the concept that he opened several Inta Juice franchises , investing heavily in the company and eventually being named to its board of directors . With Moss ' support , the franchising chain announced hopes to reach 100 stores within five years . However , the Inta Juice brand has struggled , with several stores ( including Moss ' hometown store ) closing and the corporation ' s Web site shut down .