Randy Moss Retires: Why WR Made the Right Call Hanging It Up

Randy Moss just made the smartest move of his career. The veteran wideout shocked the football world on Monday, electing to retire rather than face free agency, according to a report from ESPN Insider Adam Schefter. 

Schefter tweeted that Moss' agent, Joel Segel, had announced Moss' decision to retire from the sport, and told him:

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"After weighing his options and contemplating offers, he's decided to retire," said Randy Moss' agent, Joel Segal.

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The move is a considerable surprise to many in the league, as Moss had been contacted by several NFL teams, but in the end retiring was the right call for the 34-year-old veteran. 

Moss has always left scouts and media members drooling with his physical gifts, from the instant he hit the NFL back in 1998. His physical skills were unprecedented, but Moss' drive to be great never seemed capable of living up to those gifts. 

He talked his way out of Minnesota back in 2004, and promptly sulked and struggled through a pair of lackluster seasons with the Raiders, his drive gone as the club struggled to come close to breaking .500, much less contending for playoff berths. 

Then, the glory days came again for the talented wideout, as a trade to New England saw his passion for catching passes renewed. Suddenly, the Moss of old, the supremely talented physical freak, had returned with a vengeance. For three years, few would debate his status as one of the greatest wideouts in the sport.

But, even in New England, where he was contending for titles and thriving as a star, Moss' patience soon waned. He talked his way out of Foxboro last season, and suddenly it was a very different player who appeared on the field in Minnesota once again. 

Moss still flashed the occasional brilliance in Minnesota, but few could deny there was something troubled about his play. He sulked and spoke out, clearly regretting the decision to leave Tom Brady in New England, and forced his way to Tennessee, where he quickly became an afterthought. 

Many thought we were simply seeing Moss being temperamental once again with his poor play last season, but given his retirement on Monday, perhaps it was something else. Perhaps the fire to prove himself, to show he was the greatest, the fire that had driven him to greatness in Minnesota and again in New England, had waned and gone out completely. 

Perhaps that was why Moss sulked his way through last season, and why the Patriots were so quick to get rid of him. 

It makes sense, when you think about it; Moss hoped that the lure of free agency, of being able to prove himself once again, would be enough to spark that fire once again. It explains his comments earlier in the summer, when his agent told reporters he was "ready to be the old Randy Moss again."

Per Segal's comments (via an NFL.com report):

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"Randy has been working out, two-a-days, all spring and summer in West Virginia," Segal said. "He is determined, motivated and quite frankly has a huge chip on his shoulder. Whatever team ends up getting Randy, they're going to know they're getting the old Randy Moss. He's not just coming in to be on the team, he's going to be Randy Moss -- a difference maker."

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Perhaps that was his thinking—until the offers started rolling in. When the concept of proving himself in Philadelphia, Baltimore or New York didn't spark that fire in him, Moss realized it wasn't coming back, so he did what he should have done and called it quits. 

Moss looked to have lost his spark last season; anyone could see quite clearly that he wasn't feeling it for much of the season, and his struggles didn't seem physical. Maybe he'd lost the fire, maybe he was unhappy with his role, but whatever it was, it was enough to convince him to retire. 

If Moss was unhappy, or unmotivated to get the job done, it was time to go. We've seen plenty of players stick around too long, hoping the fire would come back, and it never does. Rather than accept a lesser role, or one he couldn't be motivated to take, Moss hung it up, unwilling to bust his hump to prove himself anymore. 

Moss seems to have resigned himself to the fact that he is no longer the player many thought, and rather than putting that fact on display for everyone to see, a la Terrell Owens, he opted to hang up his cleats. Maybe he'll be back, maybe he won't. 

But if he's gone for good, it's been a heck of a ride.