The Minnesota Vikings' patience towards Cordarrelle Patterson appears to have run out. The team drafted the wide receiver in the first round of 2013 with the hopes that he would become the next-best target in the NFL. The hype surrounding Patterson was high after his successful college career, but so far he has failed to live up to the expectations. Now the Vikings are starting to wonder if he is the real deal and a long-term option for the team.
The Vikings are coming off one of their best wins of the season after beating the Carolina Panthers 31-13. They had a 28-6 lead at halftime and cruised to the victory for their fifth win of the year. The issue is that Patterson did not play a role in the win. The wide receiver has nothing but zeros next to his name in the boxscore. Patterson did not play a single snap of offense in the first half of the game and did not catch a pass in the second half. He had one ball thrown his direction. According to the receiver, he is healthy, but the blamed the coaches for keeping him out.
"I felt like I'm 100 percent but I don't feel like the coaches felt like I was 100 percent, so they just sat me out. So I respect them for that," Patterson said, via the Pioneer Press. "It's the knee and the ankle. But I feel like I'm good. But they had some concerns so they sat me out, so I respect them for that."
According to head coach Mike Zimmer, Patterson was banged up in Week 12 and missed time during the week to attend a family matter. However, speculation continues to rise regarding Patterson's fall from grace. Zimmer has been critical of the wide receiver and his abilities to get open. The coaching staff wanted to get him more involved in the offense, but that has yet to be the case. Patterson told the media he does not intend to speak with the coaching staff regarding his playing time and promises to prove that he is trustworthy in the offense.
Could the Vikings be considering a move from Patterson? According to NFLMocks.com, Patterson could be a trade target in the offseason with plenty of teams willing to show interest. The wide receiver is healthy and still worth a solid draft pick in return. The Oakland Raiders, New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks will all be teams looking to add a wide receiver like Patterson. Anyone that misses out on Amari Cooper or Kevin White in the draft could call Minnesota.