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When he played for the Chicago Bears during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, Cordarrelle Patterson made a habit of attempting to recruit other players to the team via Twitter. It’s something he has done for the majority of his career, and it’s something he’s continuing to do now that he’s playing for the Atlanta Falcons.
When news broke on August 9 that Bears’ stud linebacker Roquan Smith had requested a trade, naturally, Patterson took to Twitter to recruit Smith to Atlanta — and troll the Bears a bit, too.
Patterson didn’t stop there. He also changed his profile picture to an image of Smith when the LB played college football at the University of Georgia. Considering Smith’s connection to both the state of Atlanta and former Bears general manager Ryan Pace — the current Falcons’ senior personnel executive — the Falcons could be a realistic landing spot should the Bears decide to go the trade route with the young linebacker.
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Atlanta Has Been Hotbed for Former Bears Players, Coaches
So far in 2022, the Falcons have signed six members of the Bears’ 2021 squad: nose tackle Eddie Goldman, who subsequently retired from the NFL, wide receiver Damiere Byrd, offensive linemen Elijah Wilkinson and Germain Ifedi, defensive back Teez Tabor and running back Damien Williams.
Atlanta also has multiple former members of Chicago’s coaching staff among its current ranks, including ex-running backs coach Michael Pitre, current offensive coordinator Dave Ragone, quarterbacks coach Charles London, and outside linebackers coach Ted Monachino.
There’s also Patterson, who had a career year in both rushing and receiving in his first year with the Falcons.
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Patterson: My Time in Chicago Didn’t Go as Planned
Patterson earned consecutive first-team All-Pro honors as a kickoff returner in both of his seasons with the Bears, leading the league in returns (35) and return yardage (1,017) in 2020. The Bears also attempted to utilize the versatile Patterson in both the running and passing games, but former head coach Matt Nagy didn’t incorporate him into the offense much. Patterson amassed 550 total scrimmage yards in his two seasons with the Bears (335 on the ground, 215 through the air), and he surpassed both of those totals in one season with Atlanta.
“Honestly man, it don’t matter where they put me on the football field,” Patterson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in April of 2021, shortly after signing with the Falcons. “I just go out and try to make a play for my team. If they want me at running back, receiver, quarterback, tight end or whatever. Just put me out there, and when my name is called, I just go out there and make a play. That’s something I’ve been doing my whole life.”
Patterson finished his 2021 campaign with 618 rushing yards and six TDs on the ground to go with 548 yards and five TDs through the air.
“Last year didn’t go as planned at running back,” Patterson added back in April 2021, referencing Chicago’s plan to incorporate him as a running back more.
Now, he’s happy in Atlanta and shouting out Smith on Twitter. Time is a funny thing.
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