Cordarrelle Patterson initially left his Raiders visit without a contract, but the two sides later reached a deal, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The Raiders have since confirmed the move.
Patterson will get $5MM guaranteed in the first year of the deal, by way of a $2.5MM signing bonus and a $2.5MM guaranteed base salary, a source tells PFT’s Mike Florio. The base deal also includes a $250K workout bonus in 2017. Through playing time incentives, Patterson can get up to $7MM in 2017. He’ll get $350K for 55% playing time, another $350K for 70% playing time, $350K for 55 receptions, and another $350K for 70 receptions. He can also make $350K for a Pro Bowl selection.
There is a second year to the deal, but it will void out if Patterson has 65 receptions or participates in 65% of the offensive snaps. If Patterson can assert himself as a receiver in Oakland, he’ll collect a fat paycheck in 2017 and truly cash in as a free agent next March.
The two-time All-Pro kick returner also visited the Bears and Redskins and was vocal about his desire to stay in Minnesota. However, the Vikings didn’t fight all that hard to keep the speedy receiver/kick returner and his market wasn’t as strong as he anticipated.
Now, he goes to Oakland to provide some much-needed depth at wide receiver. Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree are a solid 1-2 combo, but the rest of the team’s receiving corps was lacking. Patterson hasn’t been especially effective as a receiver, but he does have five career kick-return touchdowns and the potential is still there for him to put his athleticism to use on offense.
Patterson earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2013 and ’16 and played a role as a gadget offensive weapon during those slates. In 2015, the 6’2″ elusive talent barely factored into the Vikings’ offense, playing in 16 games and gaining just 25 yards from scrimmage. However, the 2015 Raiders witnessed Patterson’s capabilities firsthand when he took back a kickoff 93 yards for a score.
Patterson has focused on kick returns as a pro and the Raiders did not have a comparable player on their roster. Jalen Richard and Taiwan Jones shared this role last season and couldn’t produce like Patterson. Richard may stay on punt return duty, however, since Patterson has fielded just one punt in his career.
For the Vikings, this continues a string of defections. As Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press points out (via Twitter), the team has now lost seven unrestricted free agents without signing one of their own since the 2017 league year began.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Terrible route runner and apparently unable to learn the WR position, but always a threat at KR. Good luck to him and the Raiders…as he’ll be an expensive one trick pony.
I couldn’t disagree more with that negative assessment of Patterson’s capabilities as a wide receiver; particularly from a prospective tandpoint. The issue that he’s encountered as a route runner since being drafted by the Vikings is much the same as that of the remainder of Minnesota’s WR corps; the Vikings offensive line is one of the worst in football and has been for several years. Subsequently, the Vikings rode their running game as much as possible on the back of Adrian Peterson who, when healthy, has been the single greatest running back of his generation. In Patterson’s rookie & sophomore seasons, therefore, he was utilized even less than a prototypical young wideout and was thrust into a highly complex offensive system designed to compensate for the deficiencies of it’s passing attack. The loss of Peterson to suspension for the entire 2015 season and the absence of Teddy Bridgewater, the team’s star quarterback for the 2016 season (in addition to Peterson’s extended absence due to a severe injury in Week 4) further hindered the Viking’s ability to develop Patterson as a wide receiver just as the presence of a different quarterback coupled with the absence of a clear cut option at running back put even more pressure on an already depleted & ineffective offensive line. In short, the Viking’s coaching staff had other far more pressing priorities than the development of a wide receiver.
It never ceases to amaze me how so many fans don’t seem to comprehend the critical importance of a solid offensive line to a team’s ability to move the ball & put points on the board. So much credit is still predominantly given to the sexier positions; the quarterback, running backs and receivers. Yet the reality is that games are won and lost in the trenches by offensive lines & defensive front sevens. In the absence of a competitive offensive line, therefore, a team’s scoring ability is effectively neutralized. To negatively evaluate a wide receiver perpetually mired in systemic limitations is equally unjust and facile. Successful route running is a direct by-product of effective blocking and pocket protection of the quarterback. If the pocket is constantly collapsing around a signal caller (particularly a rookie or back-up QB) forcing him to scramble & to get rid of the ball prematurely, wide receivers don’t have the luxury of completing more intricate routes that require time to develop. The obvious casualty, therefore, are the deep post and crossing routes, with the preponderance of passing plays reduced to screen passes, quick outs and short sideline timing patterns off of play action.
Cordarrelle Patterson is a far more talented receiver than his tenure with the Vikings demonstrated. Once the Raiders get their hands on this guy and coach him up (it won’t take long I’m betting), he’s going to prove to be a dangerous weapon in the slot and with his incredible speed, as an occasional deep threat. Once this becomes increasingly apparent, opposing defences will be forced to account for him, pulling coverage away from Cooper & Crabtree, allowing them to get open faster & more frequently.
And that’s not even accounting for Patterson’s elite returning capabilities, something the Raiders haven’t had on their roster for literally decades…
This is a fantastic signing by Reggie McKenzie & the Raiders that will yield enormous dividends for their already dangerous offence; just wait and see!
I wish him the best and appreciate your comments but I would disagree. With that same bad Vikings offensive line Adam Theilen, an undrafted small college WR, gained almost 1000 yards this year. Stephon Diggs, a late draft pick showed to be a reliable dangerous weapon, if only he could stay healthy. Patterson showed he is of some value as a wide receiver, but never developed into a dependable player. His value as a return man is undeniable, but with all the other Vikings needs, that limited skill set made him expendable.
If he develops though, which is always possible, he could be very good
No one would call Norv’s system complex. It’s one of the simplest in the league, and he struggled picking it up, ending up in the less demanding slot position. Some guys just aren’t football smart, and he seems to fit that bill.
After watching basically his every play with the Vikings, I’m pretty comfortable saying he’s a lousy WR but an excellent Kr.
Well said Don Quinlan..,my hat is off to you.
And that’s why they play the game.
All we need him to be is one trick pony and return kicks that’s why we have Cooper and Crabtree good route runners and opens them up more and faster for more passes plus Carrs big arm could hit Patterson deep anytime
I feel like this guy is someone who fits the madden mold. A 3-4th receiver who only plays a few different lineups as a specialty 1 dimensional weapon, and the doubles as the return guy. Gotta say, madden 17 is the only reason I understand formations, depth charts, lineups, play calling, and roster building. The NFL is by far the most roster complex sport, and without a true understanding of play calling and player usage it’s like watching a different sport. Should add I’ve been watching the 49ers/vikings since the early 90s
Good Ol Patter
BayAreaSportsFan
You must not watch baseball
Sounds like Don has a man crush for this guy
Reportedly, Al Davis rose from the grave to give Reggie his hearty approval. Sources say that he looked pretty much the same as he did in the last decade of his life.
Hahaha….:maybe he felt him run by!
Has speed but not sure about the rest of his abilities. Hard to tell with the vikes last year. Horrible play-calling.
Once again Speilman lets another one go and replaces them with what? He must be using the Terry Ryan approach to building a team…COME ON RICK!!! WAKE THE F UP AND DO SOMETHING TK IMPROVE THIS TEAM FOR GOODNESS SAKE!!!
What the hell is Reggie doin! We need defense not o line or wr! We need mlb, de, olb wake the hell up Reggie before I start comparing you to Reggie from good time!
Your crazy we still got time and still good defense free agents out there and the draft is full of Def players just chill reggie got this
I agree and why over spend when they also want to lock up Carr and Mack. Like you said this draft is stacked with D. We can commit to this draft and get a db lb and dl