Cordarrelle Patterson likely had the Steelers feeling pretty slick when they agreed to terms with him on the same day that the NFL approved dramatic changes to the kickoff. In an effort to save the play, the league adopted new rules to make it safer and encourage more returns. Patterson is arguably the greatest kick returner in NFL history—but he certainly isn’t, currently.
In fact, the Steelers finished last in the NFL last season in kick return average, with Cordarrelle Patterson chiefly responsible. Signed to a two-year, $6 million contract, he is still on the books—for now. Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called his continued employment by the team “one of the biggest surprises of the offseason”.
One might even wonder if Patterson would be on board if the Steelers released him. He hasn’t necessarily seemed to enjoy his time here, complaining about his usage late in the season and about the lack of formal acknowledgement of his birthday on the team’s X account. I’m sure he would like to collect his paycheck, though, and I’m not sure another team would sign him.
As it stands, the Steelers owe Patterson $2.8 million for the 2025 season. Last year, he averaged just 21.8 yards on 11 kick returns, with a long of 33. That is not even close to the type of production the Steelers intended to pay for. While he flashed briefly at times on offense, he also lacked durability. His subsequent ailments only made his offseason comments look worse.
Now, $2.8 million isn’t breaking the bank for an NFL team’s salary cap. But would the Steelers be getting $2.8 million worth of productivity out of Cordarrelle Patterson next season? Right now, he is third on the running back depth chart, even with Najee Harris gone.
The Steelers signed another running back in Kenneth Gainwell, and that’s notable because HC Mike Tomlin acknowledged that he could be in the running to participate on kick returns. Jaylen Warren shared those duties last year and had more success than Patterson.
It is widely expected that the team will add another running back in the draft. Warren and Gainwell aren’t going anywhere, so where does Patterson fit on the Steelers’ depth chart? Even for a run-oriented team, it’s hard to justify four running backs on a 53-man roster at times.
Cordarrelle Patterson was once a great player, but the player the Steelers now have is 34 years old. He very visibly lost his speed based on watching him return kicks last year. And he doesn’t even seem to like the new rules. If the Steelers cut him, one wonders if he doesn’t simply retire. Are they just holding onto him until they add another running back through the draft?
