Put down Cordarrelle Patterson as another free agent who could’ve helped the Patriots. But apparently, they didn’t even show enough interest in the dynamic playmaker to talk money.
In a now-deleted tweet, Patriots reporter Evan Lazar said New England held “discussions” with Patterson about returning, but “wouldn’t compete” with the money offered by Atlanta. The Falcons re-signed Patterson to a two-year, $10.5 million deal Saturday.
Lazar’s tweet was believable, considering the Patriots have been woefully inactive during free agency, and are reportedly telling players to circle back if other teams don’t meet their asking prices. But Patterson pushed back on the report, saying the Patriots “did not” low-ball him.
Lazar followed up with a clarification. “I deleted my original report on Cordarrelle Patterson and the Pats interest. They make brief inquiries with free agents all the time, which was the case here. But it was minimal. I should’ve worded it differently,” he wrote.
Patterson, for his part, says money didn’t factor into his decision to re-sign with the 7-9 Falcons. “F the money!!! Atl was were I wanted to be at the end of the day!!!,” he posted.
The Falcons used Patterson creatively last season, turning him into a dual threat out of the backfield. Patterson tied a career-high in receptions (52) to go along with a career best in receiving yards (548), touchdown receptions (five), rushing yards (618), and rushing touchdowns (six).
The Patriots were the first team to use Patterson in an unorthodox fashion. The NFL vet rushed for 228 yards on 42 carries and a touchdown during the 2018 season.
His production stagnated in Chicago before the Falcons picked him up.
While the Patriots have re-signed several of their own veterans, they haven’t added any skill players to their offense, outside of running back/receiver Ty Montgomery, who amassed just 139 combined receiving and rushing yards last year.
In other words, he’s Patterson-lite … very lite.