Randy Moss Returns to NFL in 49ers Uniform
Randy Moss signed a one-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers Monday, less than a year after the wide receiver announced his retirement from the NFL.
The 35-year-old wideout reportedly signed with the team after only hours of working out with 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, who also used to serve as an NFL quarterback for multiple teams. Although Moss announced his retirement last summer, he admitted that he still had a love for football, which shaped a decision to return to the NFL.
"It was a decision to get back in the game because I still love the game and think I can play at a high level. It was obvious they liked what they saw," Moss said in an Associated Press report. "I don't want to let them down."
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In Moss' last season before retirement, he played for three teams. New England traded the wide receiver to Minnesota, who then turned him loose to Tennessee where he produced career-low numbers. However, there was speculation that Moss wanted to spend his 2011-2012 season with the New York Jets, but he chose to retire after they team signed Plaxico Burress.
Joel Segal, Moss' agent, seemed to confirm that speculation in news reports last summer.
"He's such a competitor and wanted to go back. However, he wanted to go back in certain places," Segal said. "He wanted to be on a championship team in his mind."
After missing an NFL season, Moss said he is willing to return to a team that has properly researched him and the rumors surrounding his attitude off of the football field.
"The thing about me being here is they've done their research on me. When it comes to the worldwide sports media, I've gotten a bad rap," Moss said. "They've done their homework on me or they wouldn't have brought me in here. ... (The questions were) more of me not being a team player and things like that. I don't want to get into that."
Moss is only second to Hall-of-Famer Jerry Rice who accomplished 1,000 yards receiving in a season 14 times to the 49er's newest wideout's 10. Still, San Francisco's newest receiver thinks it's most important for people to know about his love for football.
"I'm not a free agent. I'm a guy straight off the couch, straight off the street," Moss said. "One thing I want the sports world to understand is the love and passion I have for football."
