For Montigo Moss, stepping into the Minnesota Vikings’ TCO Performance Center was not just another day at rookie minicamp—it was a moment filled with emotion and opportunity. The son of Vikings legend Randy Moss, Montigo carries both the weight of expectation and the thrill of possibility as he dons the same colors his father once did.

Wearing No. 81, Moss is eager to make his mark, hoping to channel his father’s legacy into his own story.

Montigo, a product of the Maine Black Bears, had an impressive final collegiate season, racking up 61 catches for 722 yards and scoring seven touchdowns. Despite these accomplishments, he went undrafted.

But when the call came from his agent inviting him to the Vikings’ minicamp, Moss knew the gravity of the moment. “To be completely honest, this was my only opportunity,” he shared.

“So, I jumped right on it. Regardless of whether my dad went here or not, they gave me a chance to come prove myself and try out for the team.”

In a crowded receiver group featuring standouts like Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, alongside emerging talent like Tai Felton, Moss is prepared to give everything he’s got. “If I don’t give it my all these next three days, then football is done for me,” he declared. “I just got to give it my all, because I can’t imagine football ending here.”

Head coach Kevin O’Connell sees potential in Moss, acknowledging the unique mix of pressure and opportunity that comes from being Randy Moss’ son. “Hopefully it’s an exciting thing for him,” O’Connell said. “And he feels like he can come here and compete and learn and be around one of the best receiver coaches in the NFL and see what happens.”

Walking through the halls filled with echoes of his father’s storied career, Montigo grapples with the strange, yet cool reality of trying to establish his identity amidst towering legacy. “Honestly, I don’t think about it,” Montigo reflects.

“Seeing him in the hallway and knowing that he was somebody—and not just a somebody, a great person here, I don’t know—it’s a weird feeling, but it’s cool at the same time. It’s hard to explain.”

Adding a bit of personal history to his tryout experience, Moss reunited with quarterback Max Brosmer, an old adversary from New Hampshire, with whom he shares a spirited FCS rivalry. “I had to make sure I gave him a couple jabs for playing at Maine,” Brosmer quipped, reliving past encounters on opposing teams.

For Montigo Moss, wearing the purple jersey is a significant milestone, but more than that, he hopes it’s the prologue to a compelling NFL journey. As he takes these first steps in his father’s shadow, Montigo is intent on crafting a path entirely his own, in the hopes of extending the Moss legacy not through imitation, but through personal achievement.