Lance Moore Walks Away From The NFL

By Jordan Long

On Monday, veteran wide receiver Lance Moore announced that he has decided to walk away from the game of football.  He played ten NFL seasons.  How should we remember him?

Moore went undrafted and signed with the New Orleans Saints in 2005.  Moore would spend the year on the practice squad.  His first real game action came the following year where he appeared in 4 games and had one catch for 10 yards.  2007 Moore played in all 16 games with 32 receptions for 302 yards and two touchdowns.  His best year in a Saints’ uniform was in 2012.  That season Moore passed the 1,000 yard receiving yard mark with 1,041 and added 6 touchdowns.  He spent one more year with the Saints.  On March 7, 2014, the Saints made the difficult decision to cut Moore, making him a free agent.  This was a move they made to clear- up some salary cap space.

Moore wasn’t on the free agent market long.  The Pittsburgh Steelers signed him on March 21 to a two-year contract. The Steelers were hoping this would give Ben Roethlisberger another big target to throw the ball to in the open field.  Moore was on the field for 14 games during the 2014 season but the results were disappointing with 198 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns.  At the end of the year, Moore requested his release from the team and they granted it.

On May 12, 2015, the Detroit Lions agreed to a contract with Moore.  They already had starting wide receivers in Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate.  The Lions were hoping Moore would be the third wide receiver on the team.  It was a poor year for Moore with 29 receptions for 337 yards but he did have 4 touchdowns. At the end of the year, Moore was again a free agent.

The Atlanta Falcons took a chance on Moore signing him to a contract on August 5^th.  This was to create depth at the wide receiver position.  Three days later, Moore had a change of heart and decided to retire.

According to ESPN, Saints’ Head Coach Sean Payton said, “He’s one of the best receivers that has played here. The thing that stands out, man, he was consistent, and he would come up big on third down, in the red area. Had a tremendous career.”

Moore finishes his career with 389 receptions for 4,816 yards.  His average yard per catch is an impressive 12.4 yards.  Moore was never selected to the Pro Bowl but has one Super Bowl ring.  It came in Super Bowl XLIV when the Saints knocked off the Indianapolis Colts 31-17.

I was really surprised Moore decided to retire.  He still looked like he could catch the football and make plays in the open field.  I will always remember him as a Saint.  Quarterback Drew Brees would  look for him because he rarely dropped the ball.  When Moore caught the football, those plays were for big gains or touchdowns.  His numbers are decent but not enough to enshrine him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He will be missed.

How will you remember Lance Moore?