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Football is BACK!
Well, sort of.
While NFL rookies reported to training camp last week, the veterans showed up on the morning of Tuesday, July 26.
And some rolled up in style, including Atlanta Falcons dual-threat running back Cordarelle Patterson, who whipped a red and black three-wheeled sports car into the parking lot.
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Patterson Pushed to Stay in Atlanta
After one season in Atlanta, 2021’s “Most Improved Player of the Year” wanted nothing more than to sign another year with the team––and he made that very clear.
For weeks, Patterson took to Twitter to not-so-subtly campaign for a new deal in Atlanta.
In one post he changed his profile picture to him and Falcons’ owner Arthur Blank with the hashtag “me and pops.”
In another post, he posted a photo of his locker at the team’s training facility which had not been cleaned out yet.
However, his first not-so-subliminal message to Blank and the rest of the franchise was when he wore custom-painted cleats by Elite Feet ahead of Atlanta’s 2021 finale game against the Saints that read:
“Why not retire in Atlanta?,” one cleat read, while the other said, “cut the check Mr. Blank.”
Patterson Feels ‘At Home’ in Atlanta
The Falcons signed Patterson to a one-year, $3 million deal last year.
The fan-favorite was initially drafted by the Minnesota Vikings with the No. 29 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. Since parting ways with the Vikings in 2016, he has played for the Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots and Chicago Bears.
In nine seasons, the only other team Patterson has spent more than one season with are the Bears but he was hoping Atlanta could change that and strongly feels that at 30 years old he has plenty left in the tank.
“I’ve been around five teams, eight offensive coordinators; being here, I feel like I’m at home. Why not just finish my career here?” Patterson said, via the team’s official website. “I’m comfortable with all the guys in the locker room, the coaches, you know, and everybody so why not finish my career here?
“I still got 10 years left in me. Ten years, plus. I’mma be here ’till they kick me out.”
After almost a decade in the league, the Falcons were the first team to really figure out how to use Patterson to his best abilities in their offensive system. And by doing so, he recorded a career-high of 607 rushing yards, 547 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns in 2021.
Patterson now enters Year 2 with the Falcons and he could not be happier, according to Fox 5’s Miles Garrett, who spoke with Patterson upon training camp check-in:
“Cordarrelle Patterson has checked in to camp. He says playing with the #Falcons is like playing football as a kid. He says he’s having fun and wants to retire in Atlanta.”
And according to ESPN’s Michael Rothstein, who was also present Tuesday morning, Patterson has plans to break his all-time record for kick return touchdowns this season. Patterson currently has 8 and is tied with two others, but if he gets just one more, then he will become the all-time leader.
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