Randy Moss Retires: Why He Should Be a Hall of Famer

With the surprising news that Randy Moss has decided to retire from the NFL at the age of 34, one of the greatest careers by a wide receiver has likely reached its conclusion. Moss played for 13 seasons and set some records that may never be matched.

Drafted out of Marshall University with the 21st overall selection in the 1998 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings, Moss quickly made his mark. He broke the rookie record for touchdowns with 17, to go along with 69 catches and over 1,300 yards. He was named the 1998 Offensive Rookie of the Year.

In all, Moss caught 954 passes (eighth all-time) for 14,858 yards (fifth) and 153 touchdowns (tied for second). He made seven Pro Bowls and was named an All-Pro five times. Add all that up, and he is a slam dunk to be enshrined in Canton.

Fans can only wonder how much better those statistics and accomplishments would have been without all the drama that followed Moss around.

Whether it was him leaving the field before the game was over, fake-mooning the crowd or his tendency to showcase a poor attitude, Moss gave off a me-first vibe that rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.

His on-field ability was undeniable. He set the record for most touchdowns in a season in 2007 with 23. He had three seasons with at least 17 touchdowns, the most in history, and he caught at least 10 touchdowns nine times in his 13 seasons. Moss was undoubtedly the biggest red-zone threat in football over the past decade.

Moss is the only player to reach 1,600 yards and 16 touchdowns in the same season. He was the fastest to reach 5,000 yards and the youngest to catch 100 touchdowns. To paraphrase a famous Moss quote, when he was on the field, he was “straight cash, homey.”

When you compare Moss' stats to those of Hall of Fame receivers such as Don Hutson or Lance Alworth, it is no contest. Moss' stats trump those of his elders.

That said, there is currently a logjam at the wide receiver position when it comes to getting into Canton. Cris Carter, Tim Brown, Andre Reed and Andre Rison are all on the ballot and hoping for the call, while players like Marvin Harrison and Isaac Bruce will soon join the waiting list.

With that in mind, it might not be a first-ballot entrance for Moss, as the voters could use his off-field antics against him while they try to get caught up with the other big names on the ballot. Based purely on statistics, though, Moss deserves that first-ballot nod.

He will eventually get in, and rightfully so. At 6'4'' and 210 pounds, Moss contained a rare combination of great size, explosive speed and terrific hands. There are few very cornerbacks that matched up against him and didn't get “Moss'd” at least a few times.

There are also some rare achievements on Moss' résumé. He had a 95.8 career quarterback rating, based on going 4-of-8 for 106 yards and two touchdowns. While playing as a Hail Mary defender, he defended two passes and picked up an interception.

His athleticism was rarely, if ever, matched by the opposing defender. That awe-inspiring skill allowed him to put up big numbers, but as Randy once said, “I'm gonna play when I wanna play, I'm gonna say what I wanna say [and] do what I wanna do.”

If he wanted to put in the effort to play at an elite level a little bit more throughout his career, he would have a valid argument for being the best wideout in history. However, he decided that he was going to do what he wanted to do a little too often, and that didn't mesh well with being a superstar pass catcher.

Nobody would argue about the amount of talent Moss possessed. The argument is whether or not he got the most out of that talent, or if he was too much of a diva to maximize his long-term potential. The stats say he is one of the top five all-time receivers, but some would reason that his negative effect on the teams he played for lessens the significance of those numbers.

As it has been for Moss' entire career, there are two sides to every story. The positive side always discussed his unmatched talent. But, the negative side, in all of its forms, would frequently rear its ugly head.

So it might take some time before people can look past those moments and recognize just how special of a player Moss truly was over the past 13 years.

There is one thing that can't be debated: Randy Moss belongs in the Hall of Fame.