The Thanksgiving game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Dallas Cowboys in 1998 opened Jerry Jones’ eyes. It was mostly regret… and reflecting upon missed opportunities. Dallas could have very well drafted Randy Moss that year, but instead chose defensive end Greg Ellis. Moss fell to 21st overall and got picked by the Vikings. And so, when both teams faced each other over that holiday matchup, the decision not to draft Moss began to haunt Jones.

The Cowboys’ owner witnessed the WR score three touchdowns that evening. “Randy was a big lesson for me,” Jones admitted years later. And while the conversation should have ended there, the snub is still sticking out like a sore thumb. So expectedly, during Moss’ appearance on The Rich Eisen Show on Wednesday, the host couldn’t help but bring it up during a game of ‘True or False’. The statements?

1. Jerry Jones famously apologized for not taking you at the 1998 draft.
2. When you met the Cowboys for the draft, Jerry said ‘You don’t have to do this stuff with the other rookies. Just go over to Deion’s house. He is going to talk to you’.
3. Jerry said, ‘Randy, you are going to be a Dallas Cowboy.’

Reacting to all of the above statements from the host, Moss stated: “Oh man, you hurt my heart with everything you said, man. Shout out to Jerry Jones. And yes, that is true.”

The fact that Jones apologized to Moss is well documented. In 2010, Jones had said:

“I apologize, I apologize, I apologize. I don’t believe that’s going to do any good. He’s too much of a competitor.”

But why did the Cowboys not choose him? Well, we will have to turn the pages of history. Dallas was afraid his character issues would ruin things for them. Back in high school, he was sentenced to 30 days in the South Central Regional Jail in Charleston, W.Va., after getting into a fight. That affected his college career.

Before Randy Moss ever caught a pass in college football, his path had already turned chaotic. He was dismissed from the University of Notre Dame (withdrew scholarship after Moss’ school fight) and Florida State University (failed drug test) before playing a single down, adding even more uncertainty.

Left with no options, Moss had to return to his home state to play for Marshall University. Fortunately, he managed to flip the story with his record-breaking performances. By the 1997 season, he ended up in New York as a Heisman finalist. At the end, he finished fourth behind the legendary trio of Charles Woodson, Peyton Manning, and Ryan Leaf. 

And ahead of the draft, the Cowboys met Moss in an official visit, along with other top-tier prospects like Andre Wadsworth, Curtis Enis, Grant Wistrom, and Greg Ellis. It was standard draft-season protocol. The prospects, including Moss, spent their time with coaches and coordinators breaking down their films and playbooks. This was followed by the main event, where he met Jerry Jones himself in a closed-door meeting.

As per people involved behind the scenes, the Cowboys’ then head coach Chan Gailey and wide receivers coach Dwain Painter did not want Moss. For them, the off-field red flags were simply a dealbreaker. That time, the Cowboys were already attracting bad press due to the off-field exploits of stars like Michael Irvin and Erik Williams. Jones was also under immense scrutiny regarding his team’s culture. However, more than a decade later, the Cowboys’ general manager regretted his mistake of letting Moss go.

How Randy Moss’ draft slide became a nightmare for the Cowboys for over a decade

During the Thanksgiving 1998 game against Dallas, Moss recorded:

• 3 catches
• 3 TDs
• 163 yards

To this day, Moss’ three-touchdown explosion on Thanksgiving against the Cowboys remains one of the signature moments of his Hall of Fame career. And it turns out, he had been waiting for such an opportunity. As per his own confession, he was emotional going into the game and somehow wanted to score at least one touchdown. And when he did that, “it was easier for me to go out there and make the other two.”

Things became so desperate for the Dallas Cowboys that they were even flagged for a 50-yard pass interference penalty while trying to slow down Moss. The game ended in a 46-36 victory for Moss and the Vikings.

In fact, during the regular seasons, Moss’ records against the Cowboys speak for themselves: pure dominance. In seven appearances, he racked up 35 passes for 662 yards and 10 touchdowns. He averaged 18.9 yards per reception against the team.

Ironically, as dominant as Moss was against the Dallas Cowboys, they still were not the team he punished the most during his career. Moss finished with 10 touchdowns against Dallas, the third-highest total he posted versus any opponent. Only the Buffalo Bills, against whom he scored 12 times, and the Green Bay Packers, who gave up 14 touchdowns to him, suffered more.

In 2000, the Minnesota Vikings visited Dallas on Thanksgiving Day for the second time in three seasons. Moss scored two touchdowns in the game. The matchup went in favor of the Vikings, as they scored a 27-15 win. 

However, Randy Moss believes in forgiving rather than holding grudges. He had accepted Jones’ apologies earlier, as it’s also ‘in the Bible.’