Great to have the GOAT back.
Randy Moss announced back at the beginning of December that he was stepping away from his duties as a host on ESPN’s NFL Sunday Countdown due to some undisclosed health issues, following fans expressing concerns for the wide receiver after his eyes had appeared yellow and jaundice during previous shows.
ESPN analyst Randy Moss is stepping away from Sunday NFL Countdown for now to address a personal health challenge. This is ESPN’s statement: pic.twitter.com/GpX0fGPx6M
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 6, 2024
At the time, Randy didn’t say what he was battling, but did issue a message urging men to get their checkups and stay on top of their health:
NFL legend Randy Moss reveals health issues and asks fans for ‘prayers’ after his eyes appeared yellow last week. 🙏
pic.twitter.com/JcC01wlGz6— My Mixtapez (@mymixtapez) December 1, 2024
But a couple weeks later, Moss confirmed the speculation when he released a video revealing that he was battling cancer.
Moss explained at the time that he had recently undergone a procedure to have a stent put in his liver because the waste wasn’t draining correctly, which is when doctors then found cancer in his bowel duct, which he said was “right between the pancreas and the liver.”
Randy underwent surgery to remove the cancer, and spent six days in the hospital, announcing that he would be undergoing chemotherapy and radiation but confirming that he was doing well and hoped to return to television sooner rather than later.
And he managed to make it back just in time for the Super Bowl.
The Hall of Famer made his much-anticipated return to the ESPN desk today for NFL Countdown ahead of the big game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans, and the network had many of football’s biggest stars to welcome him back.
Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Justin Jefferson, Jerry Rice and many more welcomed Moss back with an emotional video that had Randy choked up as he addressed his return:
“Y’all already know it’s the big crybaby here, man. I can’t do it alone, and I really thank y’all, NFL, my teammates… It’s been hard, but I got a lot of love and a lot of people believing in me, man. So I’m happy to be here… Let’s get this show started.”
“It is so great to have you back.” – Tom Brady
Bill Belichick, Kevin Garnett and Justin Jefferson, among others, join Brady in welcoming back Randy Moss pic.twitter.com/ZwUhvgsOTT
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) February 9, 2025
You love to see it.
Randy Moss is obviously in the conversation for greatest wide receiver of all time. During his college career at Marshall University, the West Virginia native led the Thundering Herd to an undefeated season during his first year, and a 25-3 record over two years in Huntington.
Moss scored at least one touchdown in all 28 of his college games and was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 1997 before declaring for the NFL Draft, being taken in the first round by the Minnesota Vikings.
During his 14-year career in the NFL that included stints with not only the Vikings but also the New England Patriots, the then-Oakland Raiders, the Tennessee Titans and the San Francisco 49ers, Moss set the NFL record for the most touchdown receptions in a season and retired with the highest career yards per catch average of any player in the NFL.
He was also selected for the Pro Bowl six times during his NFL career, is second all time in touchdown receptions and fourth all time in receiving yards, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame back in 2018.
Simply put, he’s one of the greatest to ever do it.
It’s no surprise that cancer couldn’t cover Randy Moss either.
