Randy Moss and the Top 12 Receivers Who Switched Teams Late in Their Careers
When Randy Moss was traded from the New England Patriots to the Minnesota Vikings on Wednesday, he was hardly the first big-name receiver to switch teams late in his career.
In fact, he wasn't even the first New England Patriots receiver to do so.
Sometimes, the move is the best thing to do for both sides. New digs often means a new attitude, and new motivation. Some receivers have even made their past teams look silly for ever second-guessing them.
Great players come and go in this league, although some of them may be one of a kind. There are more than one of that kind of receiver on this list, so here goes.
12. Keenan McCardell
1 of 12
Keenan McCardell was your prototype "journeyman" and put up solid numbers everywhere he went.
McCardell was a possession receiver known for his ability to make receptions in the middle of the field. He averaged 12.9 yards per reception on his career, but averaged 71 receptions as a starter for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and San Diego Chargers.
He was never the game-breaking type of receiver, only grabbing 63 touchdowns on his career for an average of just under five touchdowns per season. His impact is quite understated, though, as evidenced by just one Pro Bowl selection in his 13-year career.
Despite all that, he has one thing many receivers on this list don't have: a Super Bowl ring. In fact, he was central to the win, by grabbing two touchdowns in the Super Bowl XXXVII rout of the Oakland Raiders.
11. Irving Fryar
2 of 12
Randy Moss isn't the first Patriots receiver to leave New England for another place late in his career.
Irving Fryar is arguably one of New England's best receivers in the short history of the franchise. He was never the game-breaking guy that Moss has been, but he always put up respectable numbers and had 363 receptions for 5,726 yards and 38 touchdowns in nine seasons with the team.
The Patriots may have cut ties too soon, though. He went on to have 488 receptions for 7,059 yards and 48 touchdowns in his final eight seasons.
And the decision definitely came back to haunt them.
In six games against the Patriots, he had 21 receptions for 573 yards and six touchdowns. He had five receptions for 211 yards and three touchdowns in the 1994 season opener against the Patriots as a member of the division rival Miami Dolphins.
10. Henry Ellard
3 of 12
The Los Angeles Rams' second-round draft pick in 1983 once held nearly every receiving record in franchise history (593 receptions, 9,761 yards) and was ranked second in Rams history for touchdown grabs with 48.
Of course, some of those records were shattered by two of the "Greatest Receivers on Turf" but his impact on the Rams can't be overstated no matter how hard you try.
Especially when you look at how his production carried over to his next team, when he improved in every statistical category from 1993 to 1994, logging his second-highest total in yards and third-highest total in receptions with the Redskins.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
9. Andre Reed
4 of 12
Selecting Andre Reed in the fourth round was a tremendous steal for the Bills.
That often tends to happen when a fourth-round pick turns out to be the leading receiver by a longshot in every category that matters—receptions (941), yards (13,095), and touchdowns (86)—and ninth in NFL history in total receiving yards (13,198).
He had a brief stint with the Redskins in 2000, which followed an even more brief summer stint with the Broncos in which he was buried on the depth chart.
He may have finished his career on a forgettable note, but his unforgettable career has made him a finalist for the Hall of Fame four straight years. But I'm sure Reed is getting tired of being a finalist four years in a row at this point...
8. James Lofton
5 of 12
Drafted sixth overall in the 1978 draft, Lofton eventually left Green Bay as their leading receiver with 9,656 yards. He could really break a game open, as evidenced by his league-leading averages of 22.4 yards per reception in 1983 and 22 in 1984.
He was elected to play in seven Pro Bowls in his nine years with the Packers.
His production took a hit when he left Green Bay, but the four-time All-Pro never stopped having great seasons, becoming the oldest receiver in NFL history to record over 1,000 yards (at the time...we'll get to that later). He was able to reemerge as one of the top deep threats in the league on a Bills squad that went to three consecutive Super Bowls with him on the team.
Lofton was the first player to record a touchdown reception in the '70s, '80s, and '90s.
He was the first player to ever reach 14,000 receiving yards for his career, accomplishing the feat in his lone reception as a member of the St. Louis Rams, which went for 16 yards and put him at 14,004 career yards.
No shortage of accomplishments for this guy, even when he left the Packers.
7. Tim Brown
6 of 12
Much like Lofton, Tim Brown recorded a touchdown reception in three consecutive decades from the '80s to the 2000's.
He was always an explosive receiver, but only became a starter in his fifth year in the league. He averaged six touchdowns a season, but lingered around nine and 11 touchdowns for much of his Raiders career.
His production only finally began to tail off in his 15th season in the league. Up to that point, he had nine straight seasons of over 1,100 yards receiving and only once in that stretch had less than 80 receptions.
He finished his season on a short and forgettable note with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But it wasn't forgettable enough to forget his Hall of Fame career.
And fittingly, the 2010 Hall of Fame finalist could be on his way to Canton in the very near future.
6. Keyshawn Johnson
7 of 12
Keyshawn Johnson was switching teams every two to four years until he retired.
One of his most memorable switches came at the end of his career, though, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded him to the Dallas Cowboys for receiver Joey Galloway. He got to rejoin his former coach Bill Parcells, and led the team in receiving yards and touchdown catches.
He had his up and down years, but in a statement to his greatness, his production remained fairly consistent throughout his career, no matter where he went.
But talk about burning the team that traded him, Keyshawn Johnson made his presence felt in epic proportions as a member of the Panthers when they played the NFC South rival Bucs. Jon Gruden had famously told Keyshawn that he was too slow to run a reverse, but the receiver made him eat those words on a four-yard touchdown run.
5. Isaac Bruce
8 of 12
Talk about a measure of consistency, Bruce had 60 or more receptions in each of his full seasons in the league.
He is the leading receiver in Rams history in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. It appeared all but certain that he would never leave the Rams, but he was released after he refused to take a pay cut (he had previously been told he wouldn't be asked to take one).
He was able to put up numbers close to his career averages even as a member of the 49ers, hauling in 61 catches for 835 yards and seven TDs. In a road game against his former team, Bruce was cheered by Rams fans as he reeled in his 1,000th career reception. He had seven catches for 61 yards and a touchdown in a 17-16 victory.
Fittingly, the franchise with which Isaac Bruce got his start traded for him so he could retire a Ram. I should only hope they give the next guy on my list the same treatment.
4. Torry Holt
9 of 12
Torry Holt is right up there on the list of the most dynamic receivers to ever play the game. His 14.5 career yards per reception are a testament to that much, at the very least.
That's not enough? How about his league-leading 2000 stat line of 1,635 yards and a 19.9 yard per reception average. Yep, that dynamic.
Isaac Bruce's career numbers might be better, but Holt's career is shorter. Holt averaged nearly 30 receptions, 400 yards, and two touchdowns per season more than his "Greatest Show on Turf" counterpart.
Although Holt burned the Rams for five receptions and 101 yards as a Jaguar, Holt failed to record a touchdown for the first time in his career. Now on injured reserve as a member of the Patriots, it appears his career may be winding down.
3. Terrell Owens
10 of 12
Call him what you want to call him, but Terrell Owens has made an impact nearly everywhere he's been, both on and off the field.
How, exactly? Just by averaging 72 receptions for 1,068 yards and 10 touchdowns per season in his 14 full years of playing.
He's been a media circus nearly everywhere he's gone (except in Buffalo), but he's taken his production with him everywhere he's gone (except...in Buffalo.)
In his one game against the 49ers as an Eagle, he pulled in five catches for 143 yards and two touchdowns. They may have felt worse about the trade for a minute, before realizing what a detriment he was to the team.
He didn't enjoy the same success in his first two games against the Eagles as a member of the Dallas Cowboys—he had five receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown—but doubled those totals in one game with 10 receptions for 174 yards and a touchdown at Lincoln Financial Field.
2. Randy Moss
11 of 12
What is there left to say about Randy Moss that hasn't been said over the past 48 hours?
He's been called arguably the best deep ball receiver in the game, and with good reason. He's only twice averaged less than 14.5 yards per reception in a single season, and has 148 touchdowns to show for his 12 full years of service (not including this year) at a whopping average of 12 touchdowns per season.
His production may have dipped in his second season with the Oakland Raiders, but he wiped that clean off the slate when he broke Jerry Rice's single-season touchdown record with 23 grabs for scores.
In his return to the Black Hole, the Moss Man made the Raiders pay for having said he'd "lost a step" when he went off on them with five receptions for 67 yards and two touchdowns in 2008, just over a season after he had been traded. One has to think he'll have similar production and similar motivation against the New England Patriots later this season.
Could he make them pay, too?
1. Jerry Rice
12 of 12
It's only fitting that the greatest receiver of all time would land at the top of this list.
Rice was a receptions, yards, and touchdown machine in San Francisco. His 1,281 receptions for 19,247 yards and 176 touchdowns in 16 seasons as a 49er speaks for itself.
None of that stopped when he moved across the bay. He came close to his pars, averaging 79 receptions for 1,073 yards over his three full seasons with the Raiders, but only averaged six touchdowns per season and had nine in his best season with the team.
And yes, at 40 years old as a member of the Raiders, he became the oldest player to record 1,000 yards receiving in a season.
His short stint with the Seahawks was nothing short of forgettable, but it didn't matter. Jerry Rice had already solidified himself as the greatest of all time at that point.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Post-June 1 Trade Candidates ☎️")
.JPG?w=600 "TO Talks Cowboys Relationship")
.jpg?w=600 "Taylor Heinicke Retiring")
.jpg?w=600 "49ers OC Hypes Mike Evans 🤩")