Randy Moss Comments on Retirement, Ability to Play in Today's NFL, More

Former superstar wide receiver Randy Moss, who currently works as an NFL analyst for ESPN, stated this week he's in the best shape of his life and could reach double-digit touchdowns if he were still on the field every Sunday instead of in the television studio.

Jonathan Jones of Sports Illustrated spoke with the four-time first-team All-Pro selection Monday about why he's remained so busy following his retirement. Moss stated that stories about those who don't stay active have pushed him to maintain his physical health:

"

It's just keeping me busy. When you're sort of bored with life you really start to have negative thoughts and think about negative things. For the most part I try to stay busy and that's a good thing. Fitness, health I've always been into that no matter what people have said about me. Now that I'm older, physically, I'm in the best shape of my life.

It's seeing and hearing people after retirement, early death, early sickness. There's a lot of things that can come from this game of football and not everything is positive.

"

Moss, who's now 39 and hasn't played an NFL snap since 2012, told Sports Illustrated it took "a good year or two" before he was able to put the urge to play behind him. He's still confident he could make a sizable impact if he was on a roster, though.

"Where I'm at closing on 40 years old," he said, "I think being able to use me inside the 40-yard line for my height, still my skill set, still have quickness, I think my speed has left a little bit. But my skill set, 16 games, I'd say anywhere between nine to 12 or 13 touchdowns. Somewhere in there."

The six-time Pro Bowler looked nothing like his formerly dynamic self with the San Francisco 49ers in 2012. After coming out of his first retirement, which covered the 2011 campaign, he caught just 28 passes and three touchdowns despite playing all 16 games.

You have to go back to 2009 to find his last big year. That's when he made 83 catches for 1,264 yards and 13 touchdowns in his final season with the New England Patriots.

At his peak, there was nobody better at the position. Moss quickly became a force after the Minnesota Vikings used a first-round pick on him in 1998. He tallied 587 catches for 9,316 yards at 92 touchdowns in eight years with the franchise that drafted him.

Moss finally seems content with his life away from the locker room, which is a difficult transition many athletes have discussed over the years. And he's improved as an analyst after being a little rough around the edges during his initial stint with Fox Sports.

But his comment about how many touchdowns he could catch shows the competitive fire is still burning. While it's highly unlikely he'll ever slide on the shoulder pads again, it's still fun to think about what a physically recovered Randy Ratio could accomplish if the NFL did come calling one last time.