Randy Moss: 5 Potential Landing Spots

Randy Moss announced this morning that he will be making his comeback to the NFL after retiring last August. With free agency exactly a month away, this news is sure to shake up some teams' target lists.

Last year Moss said that he would only come out of retirement for the “right situation.” Now that he has had a year to sit and think, he may be a little more lenient about that right situation.

However, he still is Randy Moss and a surefire Pro Football Hall of Famer. Not to mention he has had an entire year to rest his body.

Based on Moss’s “right situation” statement, I have compiled a list of potential landing spots for him this season. Let’s get started!

5. Detroit Lions

This isn’t a clear number five, and I had a hard time narrowing it down.  The other candidate for this number five spot was the Houston Texans, but here is why the Lions won out.

Much like the Houston Texans the Detroit Lions have a solid quarterback in Matthew Stafford. While he has struggled to stay healthy in the past, he managed to play 16 games this season and threw for 5,038 yards with a 63.5 completion percentage and 41 touchdowns.

Also, like the Houston Texans the Detroit Lions have a dominant game changer at wide receiver in Calvin Johnson—and no one else to speak of.  Calvin Johnson constantly beats double teams and out jumps anyone around him.  But imagine what adding a guy like Randy Moss could do?

Moss is another receiver teams would have to game plan for.  He has already done all the things Calvin Johnson is doing today.  Having Moss on the opposite side will force teams to pick their poison.  It will also open up an already good running game.

With the addition of Moss, the Detroit Lions will have everything they need to make another playoff appearance this season.

4. Arizona Cardinals

This is another situation where Randy Moss would be paired with one of the league’s top receivers, Larry Fitzgerald.

Larry Fitzgerald had his fewest receptions since 2006 last year, but much of that can be attributed to the lack of a good quarterback for the last seven games of the season. He did improve in receiving yards and touchdowns from the year before.

Even when Kevin Kolb did play, he threw for just 1,955 yards, with a 57.7 completion percentage and one more touchdown (nine) than interception. All things considered, Kolb will be the Arizona Cardinals quarterback this year and Fitzgerald will have to deal with it.

Randy Moss can add a new dynamic to the Cardinals offense by serving as the teams deep threat.  He might not have the elite speed he once had, but his stride still allows him to create separation.

He will also open up the Cardinals hit or miss running game and give Kolb another receiver to count on when Fitzgerald is covered. Two dynamic players on the outside would spell a make or break year for Kevin Kolb.

3. New York Jets

Here is where things can get tricky. Plaxico Burress is a free agent, Santonio Holmes can’t get along with Mark Sanchez and they have no other playmakers at the receiver position.

The New York Jets are going to need someone opposite Holmes if Rex Ryan plans on making Super Bowl guarantees again this year. The problem is Rex Ryan has too much confidence in his team and Mark Sanchez hasn’t even gained the confidence of their fans—or Holmes for that matter.

While Sanchez’s stats have improved every year, he still hasn’t shown that he has what it takes to be an elite quarterback in the NFL.

Randy Moss can come in and be a weapon, but if Sanchez doesn’t know how to use it, what’s the point?  Sanchez has more success as a game manger than a pure passer, much like the role Alex Smith played last year for the San Francisco 49ers. 

The difference between Alex Smith and Mark Sanchez is that we clearly saw that when the game was on the line for Smith, he could make the plays to keep him team alive, something Sanchez has rarely shown.

Although many analysts suggest the Jets are a strong player in the Moss sweepstakes, I simply do not see it happening. I don’t think Moss would view this as the “right situation.”

However, I do think that the Jets will be able to acquire Moss if they are aggressive and offer him a big contract, especially if they lose Burress.

2. Philadelphia Eagles

If you thought the New York Jets situation was tricky, wait until you hear this one. The Eagles will have more than a few question marks at wide receiver this offseason.

The rumor out of Philadelphia right now is that the Eagles will franchise tag DeSean Jackson. But that doesn’t mean that he is guaranteed to be with the team for the entire season.

Here is where Plaxico Burress could come back into play. It’s been known since last season that he initially wanted to sign with the Eagles, but they didn’t offer him a contract. To date he hasn’t backed off his stance and there are still reports that Philly is where he wants to be, and some believe the feeling may be mutual.

Those feelings could now change with the news of Randy Moss coming out of retirement.

If you’re comparing Burress and Moss, their physical aspects are pretty similar. Burress is 34 (will be 35 in August), 6’5’, 232 lbs.  Moss is 35 (today), 6’4’, 210 lbs.

Statistically, there’s a huge difference. If you compare Burress’s last season to Moss’s last real season in New England, Moss blows Burress out of the water. Despite the fact that neither has much left in the tank, Moss clearly offers more to the Eagles than Burress.

If Jackson does in fact stay with the Eagles this season, Maclin could move to the slot with Moss on the outside, creating a complete nightmare for any defensive coordinator.  Moss offers what both Jackson and Maclin have in one player.

If the Eagles do go this route Burress will once again be left out, as signing both would be redundant.

1. New England Patriots

Happy Birthday Randy Moss! If you’re talking about the "right situation”, this is it. The New England Patriots are the only team Moss said he would come out of retirement for. Well, hello New England!

The Patriots have still done extremely well without Moss, but still haven't replaced the down field threat that he was for them. Yes, Wes Welker and Rob Gronkowski have sufficed nicely in Moss’s absence, but neither are going to scare teams deep down the field like Randy Moss will.

That was more apparent than ever in the Super Bowl, with Gronkowski limited with an ankle injury. And let’s not forget about Chad Ochocinco, even though the Patriots coaching staff and fans already have.

The Ochocinco experiment didn’t go quite as planned as Chad had one of his worst seasons ever, failing to amass 20 receptions, 300 yards, or two touchdowns.

If anything, this gives the Patriots a great reason to cut Ochocinco and welcome Moss back with open arms. Of course, the last time he was with the Patriots he seemed to have little interest in the team or playing, which ultimately led to him being traded.  So he may have to come back with a stern talking to or rules for his second chance.

Patriots fans will never forget is the magic that Tom Brady and Randy Moss made in the 2007 season, when they broke two separate NFL records together, not to mention the two playoff appearances in Moss' three seasons with the team.

They have already made it to the Super Bowl without Moss and there’s no reason they can’t win it with him.

With a year of rest under his belt, familiarity with the Patriots offense and a reunion with Tom Brady, Randy Moss could be the answer in New England.