Pittsburgh Steelers Exit Meeting: RB Cordarrelle Patterson
Experience: 12 Years (1 with Steelers)
The Pittsburgh Steelers thought they outsmarted the league by signing Cordarrelle Patterson but outsmarted themselves instead. Thinking he would be a boon following the NFL’s new kickoff rule change, he was a dud in that area. And he didn’t offer much on offense either, or at least as many negative moments as positive ones.
Now, there were a few highlights for Patterson along the way. He ran effectively for a couple weeks early in the Steelers’ season before he went down injured. Late in the season, he had a nice catch against the Baltimore Ravens, showing his wide receiver background.
But too often he looked like neither a receiver nor a running back—nor a kick returner for that matter. While Cordarrelle Patterson might go into the Hall of Fame as a return man, his efforts with the Steelers will not be why. On 11 kick returns, he averaged just 21.8 yards with a long of 33. Largely with him as their returner, the Steelers had one of the worst kick-return games in the NFL.
And the Steelers signed Patterson to a two-year, $6 million contract to give them a boost in that area. Instead, they regressed, while arguably improving in just about every other phase of special teams. Coordinator Danny Smith even got tons of love during the season, but not for Patterson and his kick-return unit.
The Steelers owe Patterson $2,800,000 for the 2025 season, which puts him on the chopping block. While it’s not a foregone conclusion that they release him, he simply hasn’t offered much. And soon to be 34 years old, it’s fair to question what he has left in the tank.
It’s also fair to question his commitment during the offseason, as he basically admitted he was out of shape and then dealt with soft-tissue injuries along the way. The Steelers lost four games from Cordarrelle Patterson due to injury, and that doesn’t include practice time.
Yet they still managed to find 44 touches for him. Patterson recorded 32 carries for 135 yards, averaging 4.2 yards. He only had a 43.8-percent success rate, though. As a receiver, he caught 12 of 14 targets for 80 yards and the one touchdown.
The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves at home, the inevitable result of another early playoff exit. This is a repeated pattern for the organization, with no clear end in sight. As the Steelers conduct their own exit meetings, we will go down the roster conducting our own. Who should stay, and who should go, and how? Who should expect a bigger role next season, and who might deserve a new contract? We’ll explore those questions and more in these articles, part of an annual series.
