Cordarrelle Patterson entering make or break season with Vikings

Even in these trying times, Cordarrelle Patterson can have fun.

Patterson quickly pointed out to the Vikings’ official Twitter account that he’d won the previous six paper, rock, scissors matchups with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

It was lighthearted online fun from the Rock Hill native, who’s entering a crucial year in his young NFL career. The Vikings recently declined to pick up the fifth-year option on Patterson’s rookie contract, essentially initiating a one-year tryout with the organization that drafted him late in the first round in 2013.

“That’s not my choice,” Patterson told reporters earlier this week. “I’ve been here for a couple years now and I would love to stay here. If things work out good, I would love to be here. If not, I’ll take my talents somewhere else.”

Patterson caught 45 passes as a rookie; that number slid to 33 in 2014, and plummeted to two last season. Even his impact on kickoff returns has lessened, falling from 43 attempts in 2013 to 32 this season. He did run a pair of returns back for touchdowns in 2015, but opposing teams’ respect for his speed and the NFL’s continued diminution of the kickoff are both working against him.

Other factors have squeezed Patterson’s Vikings roster spot.

Minnesota continues to add offensive weapons, including Ole Miss receiver Laquon Treadwell, who was picked in the first round of May’s draft. Tight end Kyle Rudolph and receivers Charles Johnson and Stefon Diggs emerged the last two years as pass-catching options for Bridgewater.

Patterson’s rookie season - when he dropped jaws with this, this, and this - felt many hundreds of years ago.

NFL wide receivers are often vocal when not used in the way they prefer.

But Patterson, sporting an iridescent facemask shield during this week’s offseason training activities, has avoided making any negative feelings public. Far from brooding, he continues to flash his million dollar grin, whether at Vikings practices, one of the many Minneapolis sporting events he attends, or during charity events with teammates.

Patterson and Vikings coaches and front office members have been surprisingly polite about the topic in front of the press, even if they’ve tip-toed around the issues preventing him from nailing down a starting wide receiver spot for almost two years.

Consider this 2015 quote from Vikings general manager Rick Spielman in the Minneapolis Star Tribune a perfect example: “Sometimes you have to go through some growing pains where you have to realize it's more than just that. It's more than just relying on your athletic skill set and what it takes to be a great receiver in this league.”

The common guesses are Patterson hasn’t learned the playbook, he doesn’t run sharp routes and get enough separation from defensive backs, or some of both.

Patterson seems to combat his critics with a constant barrage of positivity and social media videos of his offseason workouts. News reports this offseason placed him at different times in San Francisco with a renowned personal trainer, with private QB/receivers coach Steve Calhoun, with Bridgewater and teammates in Orlando, and also at his high school alma mater in Rock Hill.

“I don’t know if them not picking up his fifth-year option woke him up a little bit or what,” Vikings defensive back Captain Munnerlyn said during this week’s OTAs. “He’s definitely smelling it now. He’s going out and working.”

Patterson at Northwestern in March:

During an interview with the Vikings’ web site last week, a reporter asked Patterson what his advice would be to a player coming into the NFL as a rookie, like Treadwell.

“(Former teammate and mentor) Greg Jennings told me a long time ago, just be yourself, don’t be nobody you’re not. When you start being other people that’s when you mess up,” Patterson said. “You’re always gonna have somebody telling you this or telling you that; if you just keep being who you are, you’ll be successful in life.”

The former Northwestern Trojan might have been talking to himself.

After last season, it’d be easy for one of the smoothest and most effective runners in pro football to lose faith in his abilities. Have the Vikings?

A looming question is whether Patterson - clearly out of favor with offensive coordinator Norv Turner - will get a true shot to prove himself this coming season. Maybe he will, and maybe the Vikings did him a favor by offering up the most obvious of motivations.

Is there something different in his eyes this offseason? It’s hard to tell with the color-shifting visor. All you can see is Cordarrelle Patterson’s pearly smile.

This story was originally published June 3, 2016 at 2:34 PM with the headline "Cordarrelle Patterson entering make or break season with Vikings."