Randy Moss Set to Return to ESPN
Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss is set to return to his full-time role on ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown” for the 2025 NFL season, following a challenging battle with bile duct cancer. The news, confirmed by ESPN to The Athletic on July 1, 2025, marks a triumphant comeback for the NFL legend, whose resilience has inspired the football community and beyond.
Moss, 48, first hinted at health concerns during a “Sunday NFL Countdown” broadcast on December 1, 2024, when he appeared wearing sunglasses and shared that he was “battling something internally.” He urged viewers, particularly men, to prioritize health screenings, saying, “Get your blood work done and we’ll work through it.” Days later, on December 13, Moss revealed via Instagram Live that he had been diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare and aggressive form of bile duct cancer located between his pancreas and liver. The diagnosis required a six-hour Whipple procedure, a stent placement in his liver, and subsequent chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
Despite the grueling treatment, Moss remained determined to return to his role at ESPN, where he has been a fixture since 2016. “My goal is to get back on that television with my team,” he said in a December Instagram video, calling himself a “cancer survivor” after a six-day hospital stay in Charlotte, North Carolina. His resolve was evident when he made an emotional return to ESPN’s set for Super Bowl LIX on February 9, 2025, in New Orleans, where the Kansas City Chiefs faced the Philadelphia Eagles. The broadcast featured a heartfelt “Welcome Home” video with messages from NFL icons like Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Justin Jefferson, and Jerry Rice, as well as basketball star Kevin Garnett. Moss, visibly moved, wiped away tears and expressed gratitude, saying, “Guys, it’s been hard, but I got a lot of love and a lot of people believing in me.”
ESPN and the NFL community rallied around Moss during his treatment. The New England Patriots, where Moss set an NFL record with 23 touchdown receptions in 2007, honored him with a tribute video and a fan waving a “#LetsMossCancer” flag at Gillette Stadium on December 28, 2024. Social media posts from fans and analysts alike celebrated his strength.
Now cancer-free, Moss is gearing up for a full-time return to “Sunday NFL Countdown” starting in Week 1 of the 2025 season. ESPN highlighted the significance of his comeback, stating, “Randy’s return on Super Bowl Sunday was an emotional lift—not just for our team but for the entire football community—and knowing he will resume his full *Sunday NFL Countdown* schedule has been the highlight of the offseason.”
Beyond his on-screen return, Moss has been active in other ventures, including promoting his Crisppi’s Chicken restaurant in Miami, which partnered with the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium. Speaking to TMZ Sports on July 11, 2025, Moss reflected on his journey: “It was an emotional roller coaster, but God took me through it and brought me out of it back healthy... I’m a blessed man.”
Moss’s storied NFL career, which includes 982 receptions, 15,292 yards, and 156 touchdowns across 14 seasons with teams like the Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, and San Francisco 49ers, cemented his legacy as one of the greatest wide receivers in history. His induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018 was a testament to his on-field dominance. Yet, his latest victory—overcoming cancer—may be his most remarkable. As he prepares to rejoin colleagues like Mike Greenberg, Rex Ryan, Tedy Bruschi, and Alex Smith, Moss’s return is not just a win for ESPN but a powerful reminder of resilience and hope for fans everywhere.
Moss’s story resonates as a testament to the strength of community support and personal determination. As he told ESPN viewers during his Super Bowl appearance, “I couldn’t do it alone.” With the 2025 NFL season approaching, football fans eagerly await the return of the “Superfreak” to their screens, bringing his signature insight, passion, and now, an inspiring story of survival.