Football is the second sport Ravens long snapper Nick Moore has played professionally.
Out of high school, Moore signed with the Boston Red Sox’s farm system. He played as third baseman from 2011 to 2014, when he was eventually cut from the roster before the 2015 season. He never made it past Single-A. During his time with the Red Sox, he became friends with now Dodgers star Mookie Betts, who was his roommate.
Even though Moore poured his heart and soul into baseball for the majority of his life up to 2014, he wasn’t too hurt after flaming out of the minor leagues.
“I didn’t want to play baseball anymore. I knew I was done,” Moore said, via The Athletic. “It was almost like a sigh of relief.”
Long snapper Nick Moore talks about the 66-yard kick and his unique backstory coming from minor league baseball.
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 1, 2021
🎧: https://t.co/rcJ9lJzMVt pic.twitter.com/qMJwveZ72h
MORE: Longest field goals in NFL history
This experience opened up a new opportunity for Moore. Since he never went to college, he could start applying. And, since he felt like his time with baseball was over, he could switch to another sport: football.
Moore played football in high school, mainly as a safety, but also played wide receiver/tight end positions along with occasionally snapping or punting. He even received offers for football out of high school.
So, when he left the Red Sox organization, Moore decided to try signing on to a collegiate football team. He looked at his home state’s University of Georgia, even looking at the University of Alabama. He eventually chose Georgia to stay close to home.
Nick Moore, a former baseball player in the Red Sox organization, seems really excited to get to play for UGA. pic.twitter.com/QOw0agHbtU
— William McFadden (@willmcfadden) August 12, 2015
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At 22 years old, Moore was finally attending college and walked onto the football team at Georgia. The main reason he wanted to be a snapper was so he didn’t have to sit on the sidelines much — he was antsy and couldn’t sit still. So, he spent his college career as a snapper.
Following college, Moore joined the Saints as an undrafted free agent. However, his luck ended there — he was cut by the Saints and couldn’t join any other teams.
Moore then left football, and sports in general, to become a financial accountant. This was until the XFL was created in 2020, where he had a chance of playing with the Tampa Bay Vipers for the league’s five-game stunt.
Based on his performance with the Vipers, the Ravens became interested in Moore, so they signed him for a one-year deal in 2020. He only played in one game as a rookie because the Ravens still had their veteran snapper, Morgan Cox. Cox left the Ravens after the 2020 season to sign with the Titans, so Moore is now officially the starting long snapper.
“I never thought I would play in the NFL,” Moore said. “I was always more attracted to baseball. It’s not a very fun game to watch, but I love the game. That was kind of the dream as a little kid, but things don’t always go the way you want them to go.”
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Now, at 28, Moore remains the Ravens starter this year, helping the Ravens earn a 3-1 record through four weeks. One of Moore’s greatest accomplishments in the NFL so far was helping the Ravens kicker, Justin Tucker, complete the longest field goal in NFL history with a 66-yard field goal in their 19-17 win over the Lions in Week 3.
JUSTIN TUCKERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR pic.twitter.com/vCsHRtfULo
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 26, 2021
While Moore and the Ravens will be on primetime as they take on the Colts on Monday Night Football, Moore's old team, the Red Sox will be playing at the same time in their ALDS game against the Tampa Bay Rays, another city Moore used to play for.