With the NFL trade deadline just hours away, Cordarrelle Patterson's name is once again hitting the surface. The wide receiver has been a trade target for the past two years as his fall from the once-hyped first-round draft pick has been steep. Patterson was once viewed as a franchise receiver and now he simply cannot get on the field. However, despite his lack of production, the Vikings are not dealing away the receiver.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Patterson is not available in trades. This is surprising. Minnesota has had no use for Patterson this year as he has just two catches on the season. In 39 career games with the team, the wide receiver has 863 yards and five touchdowns. This is a far cry from what Patterson was expected to go when drafted in the first round back in 2013. The receiver was supposed to be the primary down-field threat and a touchdown machine. Instead, he has simply be relegated to a return man while players like Stefon Diggs and Charles Johnson take over the offense.
The refusal to trade Patterson could be that their simply is no interest in the receiver. He has struggled on the field since getting into the NFL and teams might not be willing to give up a draft pick for him. The Vikings are apparently willing to pay him his $1.061 million salary for the remainder of the year before making a call on his future.
Patterson might not be getting traded this season, but he certainly is not getting on the field either. Currently on a three-game win streak, the Vikings are rising in the power rankings and it is because of players like Diggs who have simply taken off this season. Diggs finished the game against the Chicago Bears with six catches for 95 yards and a touchdown. He is now the go-to receiver for Teddy Bridgewater, replacing Mike Wallace and Johnson in the role.
"I'm excited about him. The Vikings have kind of been waiting for one of these young receivers to emerge," said Hall of Fame receiver Cris Carter, via the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "... Before you start saying, 'This is the guy' and everything, I would like to see him develop. but I'm very, very happy for him and I know he's going to get a great opportunity."
Diggs along with the receiver of Adrian Peterson have the Vikings looking like playoff contenders this season. They are the perfect one-two punch on the field for the offense that Bridgewater hopes to ride for the rest of the year.
