Cordarrelle Patterson: 'I approach every kickoff like it’s my last'

FOXBOROUGH — Cordarrelle Patterson has the self-assured nature that comes with being one of the best in the world at something.

The 27-year-old, who has spent five years in the NFL, has been the premier kick returner in the league since he arrived as a first-round pick out of Tennessee in 2013. He’s the only guy in the NFL who has five or more kick returns for touchdowns in the last five years. He’s the only kick returner who has averaged 30 yards per return since 2013 (minimum 20 attempts). He led the league in yards per return three of the last five seasons, topping out at an amazing 32.4 yards per return in 2013. He set the NFL record with a 109-yard kick return in 2013.

That’s why when he was asked about potential changes to the kickoff after Wednesday’s minicamp session, blasé didn’t begin to describe his attitude.

“For me, personally? It doesn’t change (anything),” he said. “Nine-deep, eight-deep, four-deep, whatever. I approach every kickoff like it’s my last. That’s something I take pride in. Every time I get the ball in my hands, I’m just trying to make an explosive play.”

Here are a couple of his kickoffs from 2017, a year where he averaged a whopping 28.3 yards per return on 19 chances -- the best average in the NFL for anyone with at least 15 opportunities.





And while Patterson has been part of a crowded depth chart at receiver in his initial OTA sessions with New England, he’s managed to show some electric speed as a returner. There’s a reason an NFC scout said he has the potential to be a “two- or three-touchdown guy on returns” this season for the Patriots. On multiple occasions in Wednesday's minicamp session, he was able to hit another gear. It’s June and there are no pads in play so no one is going full speed, but that explosive look is still there.

“Glad we have him — he’s good to work with,” Bill Belichick said of Patterson. “He's a talented player.”

Asked why his kick return numbers have dipped slightly the last three years, Patterson was quick to point out the fact his chances have decreased every year since he had a career-high 43 kick returns and a career-best 32.4 yards per return as a rookie.

“If they kick it to me more, I’ll get more yards,” he explained. “That’s the game. Every year, they stop trying to kick it to me. It doesn’t matter.”

He has the same overall confidence when it comes to working as a wide receiver. A gadget-type who has done well when he gets the ball in space on plays like quick outs, screen passes and reverses, he has 163 career catches for 1,625 yards and seven touchdowns. His bread-and-butter is mainly short and intermediate routes, but he’s proven himself to be dependable as well — since the start of the 2016 season, only two NFL wide receivers have 80 or more catches and a catch rate of 73 percent or better in the regular season: Patterson and Danny Amendola.

Even though the numbers aren’t necessarily as impressive as his kick-return totals, he seems unconcerned about his ability to find a role in the New England passing game.

“My film don’t lie, man. I can do whatever I put my mind to. That’s just something I’ve been blessed with from the man above since I was born,” Patterson said. “It doesn’t matter who my offensive coordinator is. I’m going to go in and try and embrace my role on that team and do everything I can to show them I’m worthy.

“Everybody’s competing. Nobody’s job is safe. Everybody comes in here and plays every day like their job is on the line, and that’s what I like about these guys. Everybody is competing like it’s their last.”

In the end, even if he ends up being a fourth or fifth option in the passing game, he’s already shown value in that he could be an extraordinary special teams option who could bring some balance to the kick-return role following the offseason departure of Dion Lewis in free agency.

Regardless of how he ends up contributing, Patterson sounds up for the challenge.

“New England, Oakland, Minnesota — no matter where you’re at, it’s going to be a challenge,” he said. “(There’s) going to be something each day that you don’t know that you thought you knew. You wake up one day, and it’s different. You’re like, ‘Oh, I didn’t know that.’  You only know what you think you know. There’s always something different. Something to learn.”