Randy Moss joked about Rex Ryan ahead of ESPN return

Patriots

fan favorite is looking forward to seeing his ESPN colleagues again, perhaps with the exception of a notable former Jets coach.

Randy Moss, who

revealed

that he had been diagnosed with cancer in December 2024 and would be

stepping away

for a time from his role as a panelist on ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown,”

recently spoke with TMZ Sports

about his upcoming return to the network. Moss, who noted that “all is well” from his standpoint, was

confirmed

earlier in July to be returning to his regular television role after getting a clean bill of health.

Moss, who battled bile duct cancer, returned to ESPN briefly during Super Bowl coverage. Now, his weekly role awaits. In typical fashion, the former New England wide receiver couldn’t resist a joke at the expense of fellow show analyst and former Jets head coach Rex Ryan.

“Man, I look forward to it,” Moss said of his return to Countdown. “I missed my crew. [Mike Greenberg], Alex [Smith], Tedy [Bruschi]. I really didn’t miss Rex Ryan much because he got on my nerves. So, Rex, if you’re hearing this, I am coming back, so scoot over.”

“In all honesty we have a great group of guys that I work with that I tremendously missed for two months, and ESPN accepted me back with open arms,” Moss quickly added. “Man, I just can’t wait for Week One to get back with the crew and talk football.”

Asked about the journey he went through dealing with cancer, Moss said it was especially difficult not being able to be around colleagues.

“It was very difficult just being able to sit there every week and watch my team go out there, perform, and I can’t be with them,” he said. “It’s kind of like you know I’ve been injured before. I think the most time that I missed was maybe a month, not being out there with my team. So [this time] it was two months, so that hurt.

Ultimately, he credited the outpouring of support for helping him get through the tough time.

“It was an emotional roller coaster, but being able to see the support from the ESPN Sunday Countdown crew, the football fans, and just people in general, just showing their love and respect. I thank everybody for their love and their prayers. I really felt everything. I felt all of it.”

Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.