It Appears the Vikings Have a Decision on Montigo Moss
Only very few names in Minnesota Vikings history are as relevant as Randy Moss, the great wide receiver who joined the club in 1998. He was one of the most dynamic players in NFL history and was rightfully elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
It Appears the Vikings Have a Decision on Montigo Moss
Because he is such a big name, folks immediately got excited when his son, Montigo Moss, was invited to the Vikings’ rookie minicamp.
The younger Moss went undrafted coming out of the University of Maine and had the chance to try out for the Vikings. However, it doesn’t look like he will follow in his father’s footsteps.
Minnesota added two try-out players on Monday: defensive lineman Elijah Williams and linebacker Matt Harmon. Moss didn’t get signed.
Like all try-out players, Moss had an uphill battle to climb. It’s only a few hours of practice to stand out among almost 50 other rookies, including 20 tryouts.
Moss spent his entire college career at Maine, where he slowly improved his yardage total year after year. In year five, he caught 61 passes for 722 yards and 7 touchdowns, all career highs and leading Maine in all three categories. At 6’1″ and 220 pounds, he is a bigger receiver, although his speed isn’t as otherworldly as his father’s.
Chad Finn, of the Boston Globe, wrote about the younger Moss last fall. He noted: “He’s not as fast as his father, nor as tall (he’s listed at 6 feet 1 inch, whereas Randy Moss is a lanky 6-4). But there are other similarities. He wears No. 81, Randy’s number during his three-plus seasons (2007 through the fourth game of the 2010 season, when he was traded to the Titans) with the Patriots. He has the same confident grin, and the graduate for Fork Union Military School in Virginia sounds quite a bit like his father, minus the West Virginia twang.”
Kevin O’Connell, Vikings head coach in his fourth offseason, crossed paths with Moss the elder in New England. O’Connell was drafted in 2008 as a backup quarterback when Moss had already delivered one of the elite careers in NFL history. He said about Moss the younger:
“Hopefully it’s an exciting thing for him and he feels like he can come here and compete and learn — and be around one of the best receiver coaches in the NFL (Keenan McCardell) and see what happens. But no question, that was an awesome thing to see, [him wearing] a Vikings helmet and knowing my personal history with his dad.”
The Vikings have a stacked receiving room led by the dynamic duo of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Tai Felton, the third-round rookie, and fourth-year player and incumbent WR3 Jalen Nailor will likely compete for snaps behind them. Rondale Moore, a once-promising wideout, could also enter the mix, but he is still recovering from a severe knee injury suffered last training camp.
Tim Jones is a special-teams ace and might win a depth role that way. Thayer Thomas, Jeshaun Jones, and Lucky Jackson return for another offseason after spending last year on the practice squad. In addition to that, the Vikings signed some undrafted rookies, including potential punt returners Silas Bolden and Dontae Fleming, as well as Myles Price and Robert Lewis. That makes 13 receivers.
Moss can now try to get an invite to another team’s camp for a tryout, and he could take the route many other players go and showcase his skills in another league, like the UFL or Canada’s pro league, the CFL.
Vikings Add 2 More Rookies to the Roster