Former Vikings All-Pro, First-Round Pick is Now a FA Recruiting Machine
K. Joudry
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For a little while, Cordarrelle Patterson wreaked havoc as the Vikings’ kickoff returner. Indeed, the former Vikings All-Pro WR/KR put up some gaudy statistics from 2013-2016.
He averaged 32.4 yards per return as a rookie, scoring 2 TDs on kickoff. His longest one went for an eye-popping 109 yards. A couple seasons later, Patterson again brought kickoffs back for 2 TDs. In 2016, he had the single score. In all three seasons, Patterson averaged more than 30 yards per return and had a return that surpassed 100 yards.
The speedster – who is 6’2″, 220 pounds – very rightly inspired fear.
Well, he is now playing for the Atlanta Falcons, a team that has found a way of unlocking his talent so that he’s also a terrifying weapon on offense. Last season, Patterson added on another return that went for more than 100 yards. He scored once again and averaged more than 30 yards per return.
Crucially, he also added 144 rushes, 695 rushing yards, and 8 TDs. He tacked on 21 catches and 122 receiving yards for good measure.
If the on-field work wasn’t enough, Cordarelle Patterson has taken it upon himself to be Atlanta’s talent recruiter. Some of it is done in a humorous manner, but the returner/receiver/running back (he did it before Deebo) is commonly found on Twitter espousing the merits of playing for the Falcons.
Take a look:
One wonders what Atlanta’s ownership thinks of their talented offensive dynamo spending their money. The potential quibbles aside, Patterson continues to press on. At times, he even names specific players, such as when he implored Daron Payne to join forces with Grady Jarrett (who is a sensational DT):
I’m not sure if I’ve ever used the fire emojis, but that tandem in the middle would likely warrant at least a few of them (as Patterson notes).
He tosses out a similar petition for Keenan Allen and even wondered aloud about Steve Wilks being Atlanta’s new DC (it ended up being Ryan Nielsen, who had interviewed with Minnesota).
As Patterson suggests, the Falcons are going into the 2023 offseason with a boatload of cap space. In fact, the top 3 teams in the NFL all reside in the NFC: the Bears, Falcons, and Giants (in that order). Things will change once players get signed and cut, traded and restructured. Nevertheless, that’s the hierarchy for now.
At present, the Vikings are in the red by more than $23 million. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is thus going to need to get creative with his ledger before he can even begin the free agent flirtations. If Patterson keeps it up on Twitter, Adofo-Mensah won’t just need to worry about rival GMs but also a former player.
Free agency begins on March 15.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
