Falcons sign All-Pro returner Cordarrelle Patterson to one-year, $3M deal

The Falcons have agreed to terms with Cordarrelle Patterson (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). The veteran wide receiver/kick returner will head to Atlanta on a one-year, $3M deal. 

Patterson, 30, entered the league as a first-round round pick of the Vikings in 2013. Expectations were sky-high — especially since mock drafts had the Tennessee product going much higher than No. 29 overall. Unfortunately, Patterson never developed into the superstar receiver he was made out to be. By 2015, the 6-2 athlete barely factored in to the Vikings’ offense, playing in 16 games and gaining just 25 yards from scrimmage.

However, he did earn First-Team All-Pro honors in 2013, ’16, ’19 and ’20 on the strength of his kick returns. The Vikings didn’t get everything they hoped for, but the Raiders, Patriots and Bears were mostly happy with the human highlight reel.

Over the last two seasons with the Bears, Patterson turned two kickoffs into touchdowns for Chicago with an overall average of 29.2 yards per return. He also logged 32 catches for 215 yards, plus 81 carries out of the backfield for 335 yards and a touchdown.