Sources have told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News that the Jets in fact of interest in free agent Randy Moss.
Last month, there were conflicting reports over Gang Green’s level of interest in Moss. Earlier this month, Pro Football Talk reported that it heard rumblings that the 34-year-old wide receiver was on the Jets’ radar.
The Jets will have more than a cursory interest in Moss if Holmes or Edwards doesn’t return, per sources.
Rex Ryan firmly believes that Moss is still a viable vertical threat. Even in the twilight of his career, he creates matchup problems. In other words, opposing defensive coordinators still game plan to stop him. Moss is apparently as motivated to prove doubters wrong as he was when the Patriots rescued him from the Raiders four years ago.
Moss may not ultimately be a Jet, but Gang Green is certainly interested in him if it loses Holmes or Edwards.
I don’t doubt that Moss can still play at a high level, even given the disastrous ending to his 2010 campaign. If the guy is motivated and focused, he can still be a playmaker in any offense.
The problem is whether or not he’ll be motivated and focused. And more specifically, whether he’ll be motivated by more than money and focused on helping his team win. He was only motivated by money in New England last year and he clearly wasn’t focused after he was traded to Minnesota and picked up by Tennessee.
This guy flat out disappeared for two years in Oakland only to resurrect from the dead to post 98 receptions for 1,493 yards and 23 touchdowns in New England during the 2007 season. So even at this stage in his career, the question isn’t whether or not he can play. He can. The question is whether or not he’ll be motivated enough to be worth an investment, which is something that Rex Ryan (a great motivator) and the Jets will have to figure before they eventually pursue him. (Assuming of course that the above report is accurate and they are interested.)
