Reuters

With Eagles receiver Jeremy Maclin tearing an ACL and Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta gone for at least six weeks with a dislocated hip, the name “Randy Moss” could pick up some steam in league circles, at least from a speculation standpoint.

Per a league source, it’s highly unlikely Moss will play.

It’s going to take a perfect situation to get Moss back to the NFL, with the right combination of quarterback, role, compensation, and prospects for contending. It’s not impossible, but at this point it’s highly unlikely. Only a perfect situation, we’re told, will bring him back for another year.

Moss adopted that same posture in 2011. He would have played for a small handful of teams with franchise quarterbacks, but the planets never lined up.

It’s even less likely that it will happen this year. In 2012, Moss signed with the first team that showed serious interest. Moss eventually admitted he wasn’t happy with his role, even though he nearly won his first career Super Bowl.

Moss, if he doesn’t play again, will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in early 2018, getting first consideration at the same time as linebacker Ray Lewis, linebacker Brian Urlacher, cornerback Ronde Barber, guard Steve Hutchinson, and center Matt Birk, who like Moss was a draft pick of the Vikings in 1998.