Randy Moss spent two decades terrorising NFL secondaries. These days, the Hall of Fame receiver says the thing that gives him the same adrenaline rush is a largemouth bass on the end of his line.
Moss, who revealed last year that he had been treated for a rare bile duct cancer, told CBS News he is now in the clear and pouring his competitive energy into the water. "That's my passion right now. That's my hobby. That's my getaway. That's my therapy," he said.
The diagnosis was a frightening one — cancer between his pancreas and liver — and it cost him roughly nine months of chemotherapy and radiation before he reached remission in the autumn of 2025. He still has quarterly checkups and a scan every four months. "I had to take a year off to be able to get myself back right, but my health is great," Moss said.
Now he is turning the hobby into a second act. Moss has signed on as ambassador for The Champions, an inaugural tournament run by World Bass Enterprises (WBE) that will bring together the top 50 anglers from the Bassmaster Elite Series and the Bass Pro Tour. The event runs October 28 to November 1 on Old Hickory Lake near Nashville, with a total purse of $3.25 million and $1.25 million going to the winner.
"Bass fishing has always been a big part of my life and fuels my competitive fire in retirement. I get the same rush reeling in a bass as I did finding the end zone," Moss said when the partnership was announced, adding that he "can't wait for The Champions tournament this fall in Nashville."
WBE founder and CEO Brian Bird framed the pairing as a natural one. "Randy Moss is synonymous with 'a catch,' whether on the football field or on the water," Bird said. He has described the broader goal in plain terms: "We both are trying to bring something that's really positive to the sport of bass fishing. It's a good way for a family to spend time out in nature."
Alongside the tournament, Moss is launching a YouTube series called Chasing 10, with former Minnesota Vikings teammates Cris Carter, Jake Reed and Daunte Culpepper among the early guests. For a player who finished his career with the second-most touchdown receptions in NFL history and recently returned to ESPN's airwaves, the pivot to fishing media is less of a stretch than it sounds.
It is also personal. Moss already auctions custom fishing boats each year to benefit the Children's Cancer Research Fund in Minnesota — a cause that took on new weight after his own diagnosis.
What he lacks, by his own cheerful admission, is a long résumé on the water. Asked about his early outings, Moss laughed that the numbers were on his side: "My first actual bass experience, I caught 20!" He says the appeal now is simply being seen for something beyond the game that made him famous. "I'm just excited to be able to showcase my talent and go out there and show people that I have something else other than football that I love."
