Moss said that he was forced out of the game prematurely due to off-field issues. Will the Patriots have interest.
Randy Moss speaks to fans on UStream Monday morning. Former New England Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss announced that he is coming out of retirement Monday morning.
Speaking with fans for nearly an hour on his UStream channel, Moss, who was celebrating his 35th birthday, said that off-field issues forced him into early retirement and that he is now ready to come back.
"I had to give the game up. I didn't really know how long I was going to give it up," Moss said. "I just had a lot of bigger things to tackle off the field than sit here worried putting a helmet on knowing that my heart and mind wasn't really into it because I had some things off the field.
"Now that I've been able to address those problems and try to get a grip on things. I had a talk with my family, they let me know, 'Baby it's fine, whatever you want to do.'"
Moss caught 28 passes for 393 yards during a tumultuous 2010 season split between New England, Minnesota and Tennessee. He quietly filed his retirement papers following the year.
Despite a bitter end to its three-year marriage with the receiver, New England could have interest in bringing Moss back. The team needs another wide receiver and after watching Chad Ochocinco struggle to learn the playbook, bringing someone back with knowledge of the system could be appealing.
It is believed that Moss would have continued to play last year if the Patriots offered to bring him back.
The wide receiver said Monday that he has no preference on where he plays next season, but also acknowledged that it's possible that his playing days are over due to his antics.
"Hopefully I get on a team . You never know, I may not get on a team, nobody may not want me on their team. You never know," Moss said. "Best thing I can do is pray to god everyday that my situation works out. I want to play football, I want to go to a team and play some football."
After earning a reputation as a malcontent early in his career, Moss re-established himself as one of the game's greatest receivers by catching 259 passes for 3,904 yards and 50 touchdowns in over a little more than three seasons with the Patriots.
However, he began to sulk during his final season in Foxborough and punched his ticket out of town after complaining about his role during a press conference following a season-opening win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Moss was traded to Minnesota a few weeks later for a third-round draft choice, where trouble followed him. He clashed with coach Brad Childress and brought embarrassment to the franchise by berating a caterer over the quality of food served at team headquarters.
The Vikings cut him and Moss quickly signed with the Titans, where he languished on the bench for the rest of the season.