Vikings receiver Cordarrelle Patterson isn’t worried about his future with the team, despite the emergence of rookie Stefon Diggs.
“I don’t need to worry about my future,” Patterson told the Pioneer Press Thursday. “I’m here for a reason. If they wanted to let me go, they would have let me go when the trade (deadline on Tuesday) was here. I’m not worried about anything. Diggs is doing a heck of a job, and I’m happy for him, but I can’t worry about what he’s doing.”
After Minnesota traded four picks to get back into the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft to select the athletic standout from Tennessee, Patterson emerged as a young star during the second half of his rookie season.
But after finishing 2013 on a high note, Patterson didn’t live up to expectations last year and has struggled to adapt to Norv Turner’s offense. He lost his starting job midway through last season and with the emergence of Diggs, has seen even fewer reps this year.
Pro Football Focus notes that Patterson hasn’t played more than 17 snaps since Week 12 of the 2014 season. The majority (37 of 53) of his snaps on offense this year have been as a run-blocker.
Cordarrelle Patterson: “A wise man once told me control what you can control & do what you can do When the time comes, I’m going to be ready
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) November 5, 2015
He is still handling the kick return duties, and the Vikings don’t plan on that changing.
Mike Priefer said the blocking hasn't been good on kickoff returns. He wants Cordarrelle Patterson to keep taking shots from deep, though.
— Matt Vensel (@mattvensel) November 5, 2015
Patterson believes his future is in Minnesota and for this season anyway that is probably true.
But the Vikings would have to make a decision on his fifth year option by next May. According to ESPN’s Ben Goessling, it seems unlikely they’d pick it up, especially since Patterson has no guaranteed money in his 2016 salary.
