25 Years Ago Today, the Course of Vikings History Changed Forever
Josh Frey
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The NFL Draft is filled with so much uncertainty, and sometimes that uncertainty causes prospects to fall down boards and become ‘steals’ for other teams waiting down the line. 25 years ago today, one of the greatest steals the NFL has ever seen occurred, and it changed the course of Vikings history forever.
That steal is, of course, WR Randy Moss out of Marshall University, who was passed on by 20 NFL franchises due to character concerns before the Minnesota Vikings snagged him up with the 21st overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft.
That pick immediately was proven to be the correct decision as during that 1998 season, Moss burst onto the scene to grab 69 passes for 1313 yards and a league-leading 17 TDs. He was voted Offensive Rookie of the Year, a Pro Bowler, a first-team All-Pro, and he finished third in MVP voting.
For the Vikings, he was the perfect complement to veteran receiver Cris Carter, and along with QB Randall Cunningham and RB Robert Smith, the Vikings explosive offense scored 34.8 points per game and went 15-1 during the regular season.
Of course, the magical run that was the ’98 Vikings would come to a screeching halt in the NFC Championship Game against the Atlanta Falcons when they fell, 30-27. However, Moss’ impact with the Vikings would continue.
Over the course of his seven seasons in Minnesota to open his NFL career, Moss recorded 574 receptions for 9,142 yards and 90 touchdowns (all second to Carter for best in Vikings history). He made the Pro Bowl five times in that span and led the league in touchdown receptions three times.
In these seven seasons with the Vikings, Minnesota made the playoffs four times and finished below .500 just twice. After finishing the 1996 season with the 23rd ranked scoring offense in the NFL just two years before drafting Moss, they only finished outside the top-10 once in Moss’ tenure with the team.
His 2004 season was cut to just 13 games due to a strained hamstring, ending his streak of 102 consecutive games played to begin his career. He finished that year with 49 receptions, 767 yards, and 13 TDs, but the legendary receiver was traded to the Raiders during the following offseason.
After two years in Oakland, Moss was again traded, and this time he joined Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in 2007 where he would rejuvenate his career and help New England go 16-0 and reach the Super Bowl before falling to the New York Giants in that Super Bowl. During that 2007 season, Moss set the single-season receiving TD record with 23.
A few years later, Moss eventually found his way back to Minnesota in 2010 via another trade from the Patriots. Just four games into his second stint with the Vikings, he was waived by Minnesota after Moss made negative comments regarding head coach Brad Childress following a loss.
He would be claimed by the Tennessee Titans off waivers to close the 2010 season, playing eight games there. He sat out the 2011 season and joined the San Francisco 49ers for one final season in 2012 before officially retiring from football.
In all, Moss finished his 16-year NFL career with 982 receptions, 15292 receiving yards, and 156 receiving TDs. He made a total of six Pro Bowls, had four first-team All-Pro selections, and in 2018, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame where he donned a custom Vikings-themed t-shirt replacing the logo with his own face.
Moss may not have spent as much of his career as a Viking as fans wanted, but while there he revolutionized what it meant to be a wide receiver in the NFL with his spectacular catches and ridiculous athletic ability and truly was the face of the franchise.
His career paved the way for the Vikings to find more outstanding receivers since, including Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs, and most recently Justin Jefferson. As long as the NFL Draft exists, Moss will always be in consideration as one of the best draft picks in Vikings history.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.