Randy Moss made his name catching footballs in traffic. The next chapter of his life, the NFL Hall of Famer says, will be about catching bass — and he is putting real money and real time behind it.
A year on from disclosing his treatment for a rare bile duct cancer, Moss told CBS News the disease is behind him and fishing has become his outlet. "That's my passion right now. That's my hobby. That's my getaway. That's my therapy," he said.
The cancer sat between his pancreas and liver and required close to nine months of chemotherapy and radiation. He reached remission in the autumn of 2025 and now lives with quarterly checkups and scans every four months. "I had to take a year off to be able to get myself back right, but my health is great," he said.
That clean bill of health arrives just as Moss steps into a new role. He is the ambassador for The Champions, a first-of-its-kind event from World Bass Enterprises (WBE) that gathers the top 50 anglers from the Bassmaster Elite Series and the Bass Pro Tour. It runs October 28 to November 1 on Old Hickory Lake near Nashville and carries a $3.25 million purse, with $1.25 million reserved for the winner.
For Moss, the competitive itch never really left. "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," he said as the deal was unveiled, noting he "can't wait for The Champions tournament this fall in Nashville."
WBE chief Brian Bird sees an obvious fit. "Randy Moss is synonymous with 'a catch,' whether on the football field or on the water," Bird said. His pitch for the whole venture is unfussy: "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."
The tournament is only half of it. Moss is also rolling out a YouTube series, Chasing 10, stacked with former Minnesota Vikings teammates — Cris Carter, Jake Reed and Daunte Culpepper are all lined up as guests. Given that Moss retired with the second-most receiving touchdowns in league history and is back on ESPN's NFL coverage, becoming a fishing content host is hardly a leap.
There is a charitable thread running through it too. Each year Moss auctions custom fishing boats to support the Children's Cancer Research Fund in Minnesota, work that means more to him since beating the disease himself.
He is candid that his tournament-fishing pedigree is thin. Recalling an early session, he joked that beginner's luck had been kind: "My first actual bass experience, I caught 20!" Mostly, though, he wants people to look past the highlight reel. "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."