Justin Jefferson: I'm grateful for Randy Moss, wanted to pay tribute to him

A pair of former Vikings star wideouts paid tribute to Randy Moss before Monday night's game against the Bears got underway and a current one did the same in the first quarter of the game.

Cris Carter and Jake Reed played alongside Moss and they brought their teammate's jersey with them to midfield while serving as honorary captains days after Moss announced that he had surgery for bile duct cancer. In the first quarter of the game, Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold hit wide receiver Justin Jefferson with a touchdown pass and Jefferson found a camera to say that he loved Moss while dedicating the touchdown to the Hall of Famer.

"Every game is a plan to get into the end zone, but I definitely wanted to give a tribute to him on one of my touchdowns," Jefferson said, via the team's website. "It was great to have it done in the first quarter. I'm grateful for what he has done for this game and what he did for me as a kid, just watching him and being a fan of him. I've always got to show love for him. "I texted him and wished him the best of luck. I was happy to see he came out and said he had beaten cancer. I'll always have him in my prayers."

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell played with Moss in New England and said Moss "means the world to this organization," so the team wanted to be sure to call attention to him on Monday night. They did so with a win and a reminder of the strong receiver legacy that Moss is a part of in Minnesota.