Randy Moss: Ten teams potentially interested in acquiring ex-Viking

Once the Minnesota Vikings officially release wide receiver Randy Moss, the other 31 teams will have a chance to make a waiver wire claim within 24 hours. The team with the worst record, the 0-7 Bills, have the first crack, followed by the 1-6 Panthers and on down. If a team claims Moss, they owe him the remainder of his $6.4 million contract this season.

If no team wants to pick up Moss' remaining salary, he'll become an unrestricted free agent later this week and the Vikings would have to pay the remainder of his original contract.

With that in mind, here's a look at 10 teams that may be interested in acquiring Moss, either through the waiver wire or via free agency.

Pro: Jay Cutler needs another target and can get the ball deep in a hurry. Even with momentum rapidly sliding away, the Bears are still 4-3 in a wide-open division. And head coach Lovie Smith knows he is coaching for his job this season.

Con: Two problems: Cutler can't hit Moss from his back. And even when Cutler does get enough time, he's been consistently making bad decisions.

Pro: With injuries questions surrounding Dallas Clark, Austin Collie and Anthony Gonzalez, the Colts are going pretty deep into the bench at receiver. Reggie Wayne would probably be thrilled to have Moss lining up across from him to distract defenses. Moss could be energized joining this team just like he was in New England in 2007.

Con: He doesn't seem like a fit for this team and its soft-spoken coach Jim Caldwell. Peyton Manning excels at making unknown receivers stars. They've never brought in an established wideout because they believe it's the quarterback and the system that's key.

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Pros: The Chiefs were rumored to be pursuing Carolina's Steve Smith before the trade deadline and need to improve their passing game to complement their league-leading rushing attack. Kansas City president Scott Pioli brought Randy Moss to New England and went 16-0, and quarterback Matt Cassel has familiarity with Moss.

Cons: The Chiefs have a young, impressionable locker room that seems to be headed in the right direction. Would Moss muck that up?

Pro: Moss would provide a deep threat missing with their current receiver corps and help stretch defenses to breathe life into their running game.

Con: They just gave a nice, new contract to receiver Davone Bess and have invested in Brandon Marshall. Do they really need to pay Moss as well?

Pro: Bill Belichick could re-sign Moss just to prove he's smarter than everyone else. He'd get the third-round pick, make the Vikes pick up this year's contract and get the player back. Also, Deion Branch might not have as much left in the tank as we thought after his first game back in New England.

Cons: They got rid of him for a reason, although Belichick never was quite clear what that was. Our guess is he wasn't a joy to play with earlier this season even though he seems to love New England now.

Pro: The Rams lost last season's top receiver Donnie Avery before the season started and promising rookie Danario Alexander can't get his knee healthy. Sam Bradford is doing well, but he's not exactly lighting up the scoreboards and could use some more weapons.

Cons: This is a very young team with a seemingly tight-knit locker room that could be thrown off by adding a star like Moss. And even with their success and the ability to sneak into the playoffs in the weak NFC West, they're thinking long-term.

Pro: At 3-5, the Chargers are one of the only teams that consider themselves a Super Bowl contender and have a bad enough record to win a claim on Moss. They don't get Vincent Jackson back until Week 12, and Malcolm Floyd and Legedu Naanee are banged up.

Cons: Even with the injuries, their passing game is No. 1 in the NFL. When Jackson comes back, there might not be enough passes to keep Moss happy.

Pro: The Seahawks are thrilled with the production of reinvigorated Mike Williams, but they don't have much else and could use a deep threat. Pete Carroll knows he has a chance to win the NFC West and he hasn't shied away from potential character issues.

Con: Seattle seems to be where former star receivers go to die (see Deion Branch, T.J. Houshmandazeh), and Moss might not be happy if they completely disappear in games like they did at Oakland on Sunday.

Pro: Kenny Britt sat out most of Sunday's game with a hamstring injury, and if he can't get healthy the Titans will need to get help. Tennessee needs a vertical threat to keep defenses from cheating up in the box to stop Chris Johnson.

Con: Do the Titans really need another headache? Will Moss be a good influence on Britt, who still could face NFL discipline for an altercation in a bar? Do they have a quarterback who can get the ball to Moss?

Pro: Donovan McNabb has one of the worst sets of receivers in the NFL, which neutralizes his No. 1 strength -- throwing the long ball. Mike Shanahan could use a new set of headlines after his embarrassing switch to Rex Grossman at the end of the loss to the Lions. We know the Redskins aren't afraid of signing former stars on the decline.

Cons: The Redskins said they were going to get away from this kind of signing under their new regime. And they need to focus on protecting McNabb if they hope to get any kind of passing game going.

Dallas is 1-6 and going nowhere this season. It would make no sense to sign him for this season unless the Cowboys think they'll want to sign him to an extension because they regretted not drafting him 12 years ago. Nevermind that they just signed Miles Austin to a six-year $54 million contract with $18 million guaranteed. And they gave Roy Williams a ton of guaranteed money in 2008. And they have exciting rookie wide receiver Dez Bryant. Still ... it's Jerry Jones.

They can't really sign another receiver with possible character issues, can they, after bringing in Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes? Although Moss's ability to catch a pass thrown his way might be a nice change for quarterback Mark Sanchez.