Santana Moss Profile

Position | Wide Receiver

Born | Miami, Florida

Date-of-Birth | June 1, 1979

Height | 5’10”

Weight | 193 lbs

College | Miami (FL)

NFL Career | 14 seasons (10 with Washington)

Teams | New York Jets 2001-2004, Washington Redskins 2005-2014

Career Highlights

• First-round pick (16th overall) of the New York Jets in the 2001 NFL Draft
• Traded to Washington for Laveranues Coles in March 2005
• Set Washington’s single-season receiving record in his very first year with the team (1,483 yards, 2005)
• Delivered two fourth-quarter touchdowns to beat Dallas in a game still known as the “Monday Night Miracle”
• Career totals: 733 receptions, 10,283 yards, 66 touchdowns
• University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame inductee (2011)
• Washington Commanders 90 Greatest
• Washington Commanders Ring of Fame

Awards

• Pro Bowl (2005)
• Second-team All-Pro (2005)
• Paul Warfield Trophy (2000)
• Consensus All-American (2000)
• Big East Offensive Player of the Year (2000)
• Big East Special Teams Player of the Year (2000) — the only player in conference history to win both awards the same season
• 2x First-team All-Big East (1999, 2000)

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Santana Moss Delivered a Miracle in Just His Second Game as a Redskin

Santana Terrell Moss, was born June 1, 1979 in Miami, Florida, who played 14 NFL seasons. He is primarily known for his decade with the Washington Redskins. A speedy, sure-handed deep threat and productive possession receiver, he became one of the franchise’s all-time leading pass-catchers

A Miami Walk-On Who Became an All-American

Moss grew up in Miami and joined the Hurricanes as a track-and-field recruit before walking onto the football team in 1997, earning a scholarship after just three games. He developed into one of the most decorated players in program history, setting a school record in the 60-meter indoor dash that stood for over a decade and winning Big East long jump and triple jump titles. In 2000, he became the only player in conference history to be named both Offensive Player of the Year and Special Teams Player of the Year in the same season, en route to consensus All-American honors.

Career college totals included 143 receptions for 2,547 yards and 19 touchdowns, plus elite special-teams work (1,196 punt-return yards and 6 return touchdowns).

He rewrote several Miami records, finishing as the school’s all-time leader in receiving yards, punt-return yards, and all-purpose yards at the time. As a senior in 2000 he also finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting.

The Trade That Changed Everything

The Jets drafted Moss 16th overall in 2001, and he spent four solid seasons in New York before Washington acquired him in a straight swap for receiver Laveranues Coles in March 2005. Both players had wanted a fresh start, and both got exactly what they needed. Plus, owner Dan Snyder is said to have wanted to draft Moss originally in 2001 – so he finally got his guy.

The Monday Night Miracle

Moss needed almost no time to make his mark. In just his second game with Washington, a Monday night matchup against Dallas in Week 2 of 2005, he caught two fourth-quarter touchdowns to steal a 14-13 win, a comeback still remembered as the “Monday Night Miracle.”

He finished that debut season with 1,483 yards, a Washington single-season franchise record, and earned his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection.

A Decade in Washington

Moss never stopped producing, even as the roster shifted around him. He posted a career-high 93 receptions in 2010 under new head coach Mike Shanahan, working closely with newly-signed quarterback Donovan McNabb.

He re-signed with Washington on a three-year deal before the 2011 season, playing out the rest of his career in the only NFL city besides New York he’d ever called home. By the time he retired, his 10-year tenure with the franchise put him among its all-time leaders in nearly every receiving category.

Career totals with Washington: 581 receptions for 7,867 yards and 47 touchdowns (ranking among the franchise’s all-time leaders in receptions and receiving yards).

Career NFL totals (197 games): 732 receptions, 10,283 receiving yards, 66 receiving touchdowns, plus return contributions (including 3 return touchdowns). He averaged 14.0 yards per catch for his career.

Life After Football

Moss stayed close to the game and the city after retiring, hosting a radio show and podcast, and running his own charitable foundation.

Moss was inducted into the Washington Commanders 90 Greatest list and, more recently, the franchise’s Ring of Fame. He is remembered as a tough, professional, high-character player who thrived despite inconsistent quarterback play and never sought the spotlight. After retiring following the 2014 season, he earned an MBA from the University of Miami and has stayed connected to the organization as a media analyst and contributor (including the Command Center podcast and related content).

Quiet and understated compared with some of his flashier Miami and NFL contemporaries, Moss let his production and consistency speak for him. He left the game as one of Washington’s most productive and respected wide receivers of the modern era.

A father of five, he’s been open about prioritizing accountability and work ethic with his kids, the same traits that carried him from a walk-on tryout in Miami to a franchise-defining decade in Washington.

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Career Statistics

G = Games played, Rec = Receptions, Yds = Receiving yards, Y/R = Yards per reception, Lng = Longest reception, TD = Receiving touchdowns. Stats via Pro Football Reference.