Happy 40th Birthday, Randy Moss!

In case you want to feel old, today one of the greatest players in the history of the Minnesota Vikings hits a milestone birthday.

Yes, the Super Freak himself, Randy Moss, turns 40 years old on Monday, 13 February.

Moss was selected by the Vikings with the 21st pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, and immediately went about setting the league on fire, hauling in 17 touchdowns in his Rookie of the Year campaign. In his first seven seasons with the Vikings, he caught 574 passes for 9,142 yards and 90 touchdowns. He had an ill-fated return to the Vikings in 2010, but honestly. . .the less we talk about that, the better.

During the 2005 offseason, Moss was traded to the Oakland Raiders for two draft picks and linebacker Napoleon Harris in a deal that yours truly (and many others) will never view as anything other than a final “eff you” from Red McCombs to the fans of Minnesota for not giving him the stadium he wanted. He then went on to play for the New England Patriots, where he set the single-season record for touchdown receptions with 23 in 2007.

Moss will be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the first time in 2018. Like his mentor Cris Carter, however, he’s likely going to end up waiting a lot longer than he should. If it was based on football talent alone, he’d go in on the first ballot, but a lot of the people that vote for the honor seem to be under the impression that it’s the Hall of Congeniality rather than the Hall of Fame, so I’d be absolutely shocked if he wound up going in right away. (As always, however, I’d be happy to be wrong.)

Felicitations on the anniversary of your emergence from the birth canal, Randy Moss!