Who is Thaddeus Moss? Son of NFL legend Randy Moss scores first professional touchdown for Stallions in USFL
Randy Moss would have felt proud to see his son Thaddeus Moss score the first touchdown of his pro football career. The Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver tormented many NFL defenses when scoring touchdowns, so it would have warmed his heart to see his son follow in his footsteps.
Thaddeus Moss plays as a tight end for the Birmingham Stallions in the USFL. Against the Memphis Showboats, the Stallions, who are the defending champions, won 42-2, with Thaddeus Moss joining in the fun. In the third quarter, in a 2nd-and-6 situation, he caught a pass from the quarterback and crossed the goalline for the magical moment.
You can watch it below.
This is a special moment. Thaddeus Moss, son of the Hall of Famer @RandyMoss, just scored his first professional touchdown in the #USFL.
Props to the @USFL for providing these athletes with opportunities to further their careers. @Thaddeusmoss
https://t.co/JiCcdMsa6s
From Randy Moss' son to pro football tight end: Tracing Thaddeus Moss' journey
Thaddeus Moss was born in 1998 to Randy Moss and followed in his father's footsteps through high school and college. While he played on offense, he made his name as a tight end, while his father was a wide receiver.
He started his college career at North Carolina State. As a freshman, he caught six passes for 49 yards and a touchdown. He transferred to LSU in 2017 but had to sit out the entire season due to transfer rules. Further bad luck followed him in 2018, as he missed the entirety of the season due to foot injury.
Coming back after two years, he made the tight end position his own in 2019. He ended the season with 47 receptions for 570 receiving yards, both of which were school records for a tight end.
He also contributed four touchdowns during the season. He reserved his moments for the big occasions and scored a 62-yard touchdown in the 2019 Peach Bowl. In the 2020 National Championship game, he scored another two touchdowns.
He declared for the 2020 NFL Draft but went undrafted. He had a chance to sign with the New England Patriots and the Cincinnati Bengals but chose the Washington Football Team. However, Thaddeus Moss did not get a chance to play for them, as he was injured again.
In 2021, he signed with the Cincinnati Bengals and reunited with LSU teammates Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase. He was activated for their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the season but suffered a hamstring injury during warmup.
Such has been Thaddeus Moss' story for so long. Whenever he seemed close to having a chance, some injury or issue prevented him from showing his true worth on the field. He went unsigned for the 2022 season.
Thus, when 2023 rolled around, he took the opportunity to play in the USFL. The Birmingham Stallions came calling, and he finally got a chance to play pro football regularly. Now he has taken the opportunity, literally, with both hands.
The USFL season is just two weeks old, and there's quite some distance to go. If he continues to build on this performance and command some more game time without getting injured, he could catch the eye of NFL general managers. The USFL season is structured to end before the NFL season begins, so he would come into the season with match practice, which could prove invaluable.
There's still a long way to go. His stats after the game read just seven yards of total reception and one touchdown, but that's still a start. Randy Moss will be hoping that this is the start of something big for his son.
Thadeus Moss was there when the NFL great was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Now, he gets to see Thaddeus Moss carve out a career of his own.