MINNEAPOLIS — In a private moment last week, Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson sent a text message to one of his heroes. Jefferson had heard that Hall of Fame receiver Randy Moss was being treated for cancer and wanted to wish him luck.

A few days later he made this tribute public. Jefferson called out to Moss on Monday night after he caught a 7-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter of the Vikings’ 30-12 victory over the Chicago Bears, looked into the ESPN camera and shouted, “We love you, Randy.” . This is for you.” .”

After the game, Jefferson spoke warmly in the Vikings’ locker room.

“I’m grateful for what he did for this game,” Jefferson said while wearing a purple replica Moss jersey, “and for what he did for me as a kid. I just watched him and was a fan of his.” I always had to show him love.

Moss announced Friday that he had undergone a six-hour operation to remove a cancerous mass from his bile duct after a stent was previously placed in his liver. He said he was hospitalized for six days and will undergo radiation and chemotherapy treatment while taking a leave of absence from his role as an analyst on ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown.”

The Vikings opened Monday night’s game by sending two of Moss’ former teammates, Cris Carter and Jake Reed, to midfield as honorary captains during the coin toss. Each was holding a side of a Moss jersey, prompting them to respond with X: “LUV U ALL.”

I love you all!#letsmoscancer https://t.co/925w4LJhNN

– Randy Moss (@RandyMoss) December 17, 2024

“It was great to see these guys,” Jefferson said. “These are the guys in front of us. Those are the big three in front of me, (Jalen Nailor) and (Jordan Addison). … They were brothers when they played and they still are. It’s great to see the amount of love they still have for each other.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell, who was Moss’ teammate in 2008 when both played with the New England Patriots, said the Vikings met internally last week to decide how they wanted to honor him.

“You could feel the love for him in the building tonight,” O’Connell said. “He means the world to this organization. His name is in the rafters of the Ring of Honor, he’s a Hall of Famer… and we’re behind him every step of the way. We want to do everything we can with the Monday Night Football platform. Hopefully he watched and if he enjoyed it at all, it was worth it because that’s how we feel about him.”