ESPN’s Randy Moss Shares Cancer Update in 2025 NFL Honors Appearance

NFL alum Randy Moss made a virtual appearance at the 2025 NFL Honors in the midst of his ongoing cancer battle.

“Good evening everybody. How y’all doing? It is great to talk to you tonight,” Moss, 47, said in livestream footage during the ceremony, which took place in New Orleans on Thursday, February 6. “I’m sorry I could not be there in person to join you all, but I want to send a special thank you to all of my doctors, my beautiful wife, my children, my family, my teammates and all the prayer warriors out there. We are Mossing cancer, and I cannot wait to get back on television with all my guys.”

Moss, who revealed in December 2024 that he underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor, presented the award for Comeback Player of the Year to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.

“I am thrilled to present an award that I was honored to win myself back in 2007 with the New England Patriots,” Moss said. “There’s no better story in the National Football League than the one about a player who does big things, overcomes adversity and faces obstacles — but ultimately finds their way back to the mountaintop.”

Related: Randy Moss Confirms Cancer Diagnosis, Underwent Surgery to Remove Mass

Randy Moss confirmed that he was diagnosed with cancer after his son previously denied reports. “Y’all know that I’ve told y’all over the last couple of weeks about me battling something internally,” Moss, 47, said in a Friday, December 13, Instagram Live video. “And ya boy is a cancer survivor.” Moss shared that last month, […]

Ahead of Moss’ NFL Honors appearance, he was introduced by Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson. (Moss was drafted by the Vikings in 1998 and played with the Patriots, Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Titans and the San Francisco 49ers throughout his career.)

“Playing wide receiver in the NFL is a dream job, but playing the position in Minnesota means something a little extra,” Jefferson, 25, said. “Because of the tradition in excellence we’ve got going on there, [there are] plenty of stars on [the roster]. There’s no name bigger, no icon more legendary than the Randy Moss. No cap.”

He added, “I don’t need to tell this room — or this audience — how amazing Randy is on the field. You saw it right there in the highlights and it’s all over the record books. I also don’t need to tell you about the fight that Randy’s in right now, battling cancer.”

Jefferson further gushed that the ESPN commentator is “feeling the love” from the football community amid his health struggles.

Moss announced in December 2024 that he was “battling something internally” before taking a temporary leave of absence from Sunday NFL Countdown. He later explained that he was diagnosed with liver cancer.

“Ya boy is a cancer survivor,” Moss said in an Instagram Live video. “I did have cancer, they found it in the bile duct right between the pancreas and the liver. The cancer was sitting right outside the bile duct.”

Moss noted at the time that he underwent a “six-hour surgery,” which successfully removed the cancerous mass.