When Randy Moss started this year, he had a very respectable TD total -- 101. Good enough to have broken in to the top 10 in receiving TDs and the top 20 in total TDs.
Looking at his last 3 years, he was averaging about 8 per year. 140 to 150 career TDs was an aspiration -- that is, so long as he got out of that situation in Oakland he was probably looking at a very respectable hall of fame career.
Do you realize that, practically overnight, everything has changed. He actually has a legitimate chance to become the second leading receiver in TDs of all time THIS YEAR. He's 13 away from catching Chris Carter. Can you imagine if he were to do that this year? He would have leapfrogged some of the greatest ever to play the game in a single year.
The chance to play with Tom Brady in Brady's prime actually puts the previously unthinkable in range. Randy Moss could conceivably catch Jerry Rice if he stays at a high level for the next 5 years. It's still a long way in the distance and certainly not assured by any means, but possible if he stays with Brady. Virtually unthinkable anywhere else. He could theoretically even catch Emmit Smith for second on the all time TD list.
He's also, this year, made a big jump in total receiving yards -- he's 17th and rising fast. He's going to start passing a guy a week at this rate and should easily break into the top 10 some time next year.
I don't know how much this stuff matters to him. My guess is that right now it doesn't mean as much as a championship would. But once he sits down and looks at the numbers, it would not make any sense for him to go anywhere else.
With Tom Brady and BB, and if he stays healthy, Randy Moss should be able to make a compelling case in just a few years for being the second greatest receiver to play the game, with a not laughable chance to put himself in the debate for greatest of all time before all is said and done. This was, simply, unthinkable 10 weeks ago. How is he going to turn that down?
