Moss will finish career as his own agent
By author
Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss has decided to part ways with his long-time agent Tim DiPiero, a man who has been around Randy since Moss was in high school. Instead of hiring a new agent, Moss will instead finish his career acting as his own agent. Former Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi also served as his own agent later in his career. DiPiero himself broke the news of Moss acting as his own agent, and there are apparently no hard feelings between the two:
“Randy has talked to me for a while about finishing his career without an agent and recently told me that as a veteran entering his 13th season, he no longer believed he needs an agent. He told me he would be sending me official notice of his decision, which he did last week.
“It has been a privilege representing him all these years and to have had a close-up view as we all watched a high school kid, who was this incredible ‘phenom’ grow into a man and one of the greatest NFL players of all time. What has been most satisfying is to see him give back to our local community, especially the kids. Randy has a soft spot for kids and when he does things for them, he does it for the right reasons. I will continue to catch him on TV each Sunday and root for him to get a ring before he retires.”
With Randy being a seasoned veteran and knowing his market value, this makes sense. It will save Moss at least 15% in agent fees in his next, and possibly last, NFL contract. Moss’ contract expires at the end of the upcoming season and with Moss being 33 years old, he is likely looking for his last big contract before retirement. The Patriots already have two other major deals expiring at the end of the upcoming season (Tom Brady and Logan Mankins), which will make re-signing Moss all the more difficult. Even if new deals for Brady and Mankins are done this summer, Randy just may end up being squeezed out if his demands are too high. Randy has stated previously that he feels that this will be his last season in New England:
“I don’t think they are going to extend my contract here. I understand the beast, the nature of it. I think that just with what I think and what I know I don’t think they’re going to re-sign me back. So, after this season if there is not a lockout I’ll be looking for a new team. I got a lot of respect for the Patriots and what they did for me and my family. So, the only thing I can do is just play this year out and see what my future holds after that.”
Randy’s career was in a downward spiral in Oakland before the Patriots traded for the future Hall-of-Fame WR. In his first season in New England, he set the single season record for touchdown receptions. Perhaps Randy has more loyalty to the organization and is willing to sacrifice more to stay in New England than an agent would. That is probably wishful thinking, but time will tell. Personally, I would like to see Moss finish his career as a Patriot. He has developed a great relationship on the field with Tom Brady and has been a terrific teammate. Despite playing much of last year with an injured back and shoulder, he did not miss any games or speak publicly about his ailments, despite some media pundits calling him out for “dogging it” on some plays. Even a diminished Randy Moss is better than a majority of other wide receivers in the NFL. I would like to see him finally get a championship ring before he retires as a Patriot.