Randy Moss beat Stage 2 cancer and turned his recovery into something nobody expected

Randy Moss spent 14 seasons making impossible catches look easy. Now he's chasing something entirely different and loving every minute of it. In December 2024, Moss announced via Instagram Live that doctors had found a cancerous mass in his bile duct, between his pancreas and liver. He had already undergone a six-hour Whipple procedure, a complex surgery that removes parts of the pancreas, small intestine, gallbladder, and bile duct, and had spent six days in the hospital. He was subsequently diagnosed with Stage 2 bile duct cancer and went through both chemotherapy and radiation. The NFL world rallied behind him with the hashtag #LetsMossCancer. It worked.

Randy Moss beats cancer and finds his new passion — Bass fishing

Moss spent roughly nine months mostly confined to his home during treatment. Since completing his treatment last fall and being declared in remission, he has barely put down a fishing rod. He also returned to his ESPN analyst role for the season, bass fishing becoming what he describes as a third career of sorts. "That's my passion right now. That's my hobby. That's my getaway. That's my therapy," Moss told the Associated Press this week.


Moss and his business partner, Andrew Grein, are now filming a documentary series called "Chasing 10," featuring celebrity guests who join Moss on the water as he hunts for the legendary 10-pound largemouth bass. The series doubles as a charity project. Each season, Moss auctions off a custom-made boat to benefit the Children's Cancer Research Fund in Minnesota. The man beat cancer and immediately started raising money to fight it for others. Iconic, honestly.

'Just a kid in a candy store'

Moss told reporters he still has quarterly checkups every four months but is feeling great. "I had to take a year off to get myself back right, but my health is great. I have the bass waiting on me — I'm just a kid in a candy store having fun, man."

His wife Lydia was his primary caregiver through it all. The Hall of Famer who once made NFL defensive backs look foolish every Sunday is now happily humbling himself on a boat, chasing fish with celebrities. Retirement plans, redefined.