One of the great debates in the NFL surrounds who the best wide receiver of all time is, with many people pointing to Jerry Rice. However, another contender for the crown, Randy Moss, recently weighed in saying that he’s the greatest.
Randy Moss was speaking with Kevin Hart on Cold as Balls when he emphasized how much he believes he was the greatest wide receiver.
“Hands down, I consider myself as the greatest wide receiver to ever play the game,” Moss said.
The key point that Moss brought up in his argument was that he felt like changed the game of football in a way that Rice did not.
“It wasn’t a shot at Jerry. I still have respect and love for Jerry, but I just thought the way that I changed the game of football.”
It’s certainly a close debate. Jerry Rice has Randy Moss beat out in terms of longevity in the NFL, which helped him to accumulate some monstrous stats. Rice played in 20 seasons, with the San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, and Seattle Seahawks. He had 1,549 receptions for 22,895 yards and 197 touchdowns. He is in first place all-time in each of those categories.
For his part, Randy Moss played 16 NFL seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, and Tennessee Titans. He had 982 receptions for 15,292 yards and 156 touchdowns. Despite that, Moss was unique in his ability to create big shot plays with his combination of size and speed in a way few if any other players have been able to replicate.
Despite having himself ahead of Rice, Moss still had Rice on his Mount Rushmore of wide receivers, along with Terrell Owens and Calvin Johnson. Regardless, any fan would love to have one of these receivers.
Randy Moss reveals Jerry Jones apologized for not drafting him to Dallas
Randy Moss fell to the Minnesota Vikings at 21st overall in the 1998 NFL Draft. It was a slide that was, in no small part, due to perceived off-field issues. However, in hindsight, Moss was one of the two or three best players in the draft.
Certainly, many teams regretted not taking him when they could. That, according to Moss, includes the Dallas Cowboys, with owner Jerry Jones apologizing to him for not drafting him to Dallas.
“The crazy part about it is them kicking the tires one time was – Jerry basically summed it up for me, Rich. He came and give me a big hug one day during a preseason game when I was working for ESPN. He just apologized. It really felt good to hear that coming from Jerry because of how many emotions I had on draft day,” Moss said on the Rich Eisen Show.
“I respect the Cowboys and I respect the organization.”
More must-reads: