Cordarrelle Patterson likely had the Steelers feeling pretty slick when they signed 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”.