The year was 2007. Randy Moss was coming off a frustrating stint with the Raiders, his Hall of Fame trajectory seemingly stalled. Meanwhile, Bill Belichick had been quietly obsessed with adding Moss to the Patriots’ offense. So, the trade made sense. And as Belichick put it in 2024, pulling the deal off “was like childbirth.” The trade finally came together during the NFL Draft, after months of chasing, late-night calls, and a final conversation with then-Raiders owner Al Davis. The Patriots gave up a fourth-round pick—but before that became official, Moss had to pass a physical and agree to rework his deal. One problem: Moss didn’t believe it was real.

“Hey, Randy, this is Coach Belichick,” the Patriots coach recalled saying. Click. He called again. Same response. On the third try, Moss barked back, “What? Is this a joke? This better not be a joke.” But the next morning? Moss was in Boston by 8 a.m., passed the physical, and the deal was sealed. Just like that, one of the most iconic duos in NFL history was born.

But now, almost a couple of decades later, it turns out, one of the greatest WRs of all time wanted to play for Belichick, too. Yup! Julian Edelman revealed it on the Dudes on Dudes podcast, where Edelman and Rob Gronkowski were celebrating Belichick’s 73rd birthday. The takeaway? Moss wasn’t just looking for a team—he was chasing a standard.

“Some of the greatest players wanted to play for Coach Belichick. Like Randy Moss wanted to play for Coach B. And Chad Ochocinco, who was a jokester. Bill loved him.” Jules said while adding, “Bill loved guys. It didn’t matter what you were. Rob Gronkowski—he drafted Rob Gronkowski, who was literally ‘Yo Soy Fiesta’. He didn’t care what you did as long as you did it well.”

This is what even Moss admitted to, back in 2018, looking back at his Patriots trade. He admitted that playing for Belichick—and with Brady—“refueled the fire.” It wasn’t just the culture; it was the Belichick way of doing things. “He used to take us climbing over walls, climbing under and over barbed wire fence through the week,” Moss told ESPN. Sundays? “It made our job a little easier because of how hard we worked during the week.”

And it worked. Moss shattered records in New England. Twenty-three touchdowns in a single season. Double-digit 1,000-yard campaigns. But if you ask Moss, that wasn’t the point. “All those numbers and stuff sounded good, but that’s not what I played for,” he told Adam Schefter. His motivation? Family. Pride. And the shot to be part of something greater than himself.

Belichick, for his part, was equally appreciative. “He made me a better coach,” Belichick once said. “He made us a much better team.” So, what made this pairing work? Beyond the deep balls and the playoff runs, it was two titans of the game pushing each other. Moss thought he knew it all heading into Year 10. But Belichick broke him down and built him back up. For Moss, the experience was more than just rejuvenating—it was transformative. And for Belichick, it was a reminder that sometimes, the greatest challenges are the ones worth calling three times for.

Randy Moss knows all about dealing with a challenge now

You know Randy Moss as the freakishly gifted wide receiver who made Sundays fun. Or lately, as the analyst with brutal reality check takes. But now? He’s the guy who beat something far tougher than double coverage—bile duct cancer.

It all started with something small. Moss noticed his urine looked off. And he didn’t shrug it off. “It was by divine intervention,” he said, during an Instagram Live, recounting how a routine hospital run turned into anything but. Doctors placed a stent in his liver, ran more tests, and found the real issue—a cancerous mass wedged between his pancreas and liver.

The diagnosis? Bile duct cancer. A rare, aggressive type with a reputation for sneaking up on people. But Moss caught it early—thanks to that divine intervention—and that gave him a shot. So, what was the doctor’s plan? A six-hour Whipple procedure. In layman’s language, the doctors had to remove parts of his pancreas, small intestine, gallbladder, and the bile duct. It’s as intense as it sounds. But Moss pulled through.

“I didn’t think I would ever be in this position, as healthy as I thought I was,” he admitted. What followed was more than just physical recovery. It was mental, emotional, spiritual. Moss leaned on his family, called them his “prayer warriors.” His son, Thaddeus, was right there. So were his teammates in the league—Julian Edelman, Gronk, even Vikings legends—sending love, posting support, and making sure Moss knew he wasn’t alone in this fight.

By February 2025, Moss was back on ESPN, looking like himself again. That emotional return to Sunday NFL Countdown? Goosebumps. They rolled a tribute video. Brady. Belichick. All showing love. Moss teared up. And just like that, the guy who used to make highlight reels was living one—off the field this time.