Where Will Randy Moss End Up?

The Vikings reportedly cut Randy Moss, giving the other 31 NFL teams a 24-hour window to place a claim on the outspoken wide receiver. (Update: Vikings coach Brad Childress issued a statement Monday night confirming Moss' release. He will likely be placed on waivers Tuesday.)

Here's how the NFL's waiver process breaks down: once a player is placed on waivers, the team with the worst record in the league at that time -- in this case, 0-7 Buffalo -- gets the opportunity to claim him. If that team passes, then the process moves to the team with the second-worst record (Carolina, 1-6), then the third-worst (Dallas, 1-6) and so on. New England, at 6-1, has the league's best record, so the Patriots would be last in the waiver order.

If any team claims Moss, it would be responsible for the remainder of Moss' 2010 salary -- approximately $3.4 million. If no team claims Moss, the Vikings would pay that remaining money and Moss would be free to sign with any team.

Here's a look at some of the teams that may be interested in Moss, in order of waiver priority (the Vikings would have the No. 9 spot, but do not factor in):

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• Bills (No. 1 waiver priority): It's hard to see the Bills shelling out more than $3 million -- and dealing with the potential headaches of Moss' arrival -- considering that Buffalo is 0-7 and completely out of postseason contention. But the Bills are at the top of the waiver order, so they have to be thrown into the ring.

• Cowboys (No. 3): There's probably no reason for the Cowboys to go after Moss -- Dallas already has Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Miles Austin, and Tony Romo's shelved for the season. But ... we're talking about the Cowboys here. Even at 1-6, Jerry Jones may decide he's so incredibly desperate that he'd take a run at Moss, just to see if Dallas can put anything together over the season's final weeks.

• Chargers (No. 9): Yeah, Vincent Jackson's coming back in a few weeks, but the Chargers might be ready to make their second half charge -- and just think about a receiving group of Moss, Jackson and tight end Antonio Gates. Good luck defending that. Still, it's $3.4 million for a team that's notoriously cheap and has already had some personnel turmoil.

• Rams (No. 12): The NFL Network talked about this possibility in-depth after Moss' release was reported, pointing out that Moss could provide the big-play weapon that rookie QB Sam Bradford's missing in his depleted receiving corps. At 4-3, the Rams are just a half-game back of Seattle in the NFC West. But Bradford's putting up a very solid rookie year and is progressing well -- is it worth risking all he's built to bring in a guy like Moss?

• Raiders (No. 13): Why not continue the Moss reunion tour? Moss played for the Raiders in 2005 and 2006, catching 102 passes and 10 touchdowns over those two seasons. More importantly, the Raiders, at 4-4, are right in the thick of the AFC West title chase and might deem Moss the type of guy that could put them over the top

• Redskins (No. 14): Adding Moss seems to be right up Daniel Snyder's alley, and Mike Shanahan didn't rule out a Moss claim during his Monday afternoon press conference. The Redskins, despite the maturation of speedster Anthony Armstrong, could use a downfield threat and another red-zone target. A Moss-McNabb pairing would be promising for the same reasons a Moss-Favre pairing was -- but it comes with the same potential issues.

• Seahawks (No. 15): Don't forget that Seattle tried multiple times to add a game-breaking wide receiver, including San Diego's Vincent Jackson. Claiming Moss would be a free pass to achieving that goal.

• Bears (No. 16): Assuming Jay Cutler ever got more than 0.2 seconds to throw, a guy like Moss could do some damage for Chicago. The Bears definitely wouldn't mind a WR upgrade.

• Dolphins (No. 17): Like several of the teams above them on this list, the Dolphins could use another deep threat, and the thought of pairing Moss with Brandon Marshall is intriguing. But if Miami makes a claim, it might be to prevent Moss from sneaking through the process and winding up back with the Patriots.

• Titans (No. 21): Tennessee may not have been on this list before Sunday, but with Kenny Britt possibly out for several weeks and the Titans at 5-3, they could use another weapon on offense.

• Colts (No. 23): Let's call this an extreme longshot, but also keep in mind how banged up Indianapolis is at the receiver and tight end positions. Peyton Manning might have a field day throwing to Moss if a guy like Reggie Wayne is eating up space underneath.

• Chiefs (No. 24): Kansas City's a surprising 5-2 and on top of the AFC West -- and has had that success without much of a passing game. Moss wouldn't solve all of Matt Cassel's issues, but he might help a bit.

• Jets (No. 29): A Jets claim would be a 100 percent effort to block Moss from returning to New England. Sure, they were shutout Sunday, but this isn't a team in need of more troubled wide receivers.

• Patriots (No. 31): New England doesn't need to put in a claim on Moss, technically. If no one else wants him, the Patriots could let him slide into free agency, then sign him to a reasonable deal while Minnesota pays off the remainder of his salary. It's a Bill Belichick move if there's ever been one.

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The latest on Moss' release: