Getty Tim Patrick #81 of the Denver Broncos makes a reception for a ten-yard touchdown ahead of defender Bashaud Breeland #21 of the Kansas City Chiefs during the third quarter of a game at Arrowhead Stadium. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
So much for that summer debate about which Denver Broncos wideout offered more value in 2021, because Tim Patrick has clearly out-performed KJ Hamler — and pretty much every other wide receiver on the team.
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Patrick has arguably been the team’s best wide receiver since being thrust into the de facto No. 1 role, following Courtland Sutton’s season-ending injury in Week 2 of the 2020 season. And it hasn’t been just 2020, either, as Patrick has been making plays in 2021 as well — including a solid performance in Denver’s 26-0 win over the New York Jets, on September 26.
FINAL: The @Broncos improve to 3-0! #BroncosCountry #NYJvsDEN
Patrick tallied five catches for a game-high 98 yards in Denver’s victory. He’s been so steady that it might come as a surprise to Broncos Country that the Jets contest was the first time in 2021 that Patrick didn’t register a touchdown reception. The 98 yards were a season high, though.
Mr. Reliable
Patrick, who went all of 2020 without registering a dropped pass, has picked up in 2021 right where he left off, last season.
Only WRs w/ 70+ targets and 0 drops this season:
💥 Tim Patrick
💥 Larry Fitzgerald
An undrafted free agent in 2017, Patrick had a stellar 2020 campaign, as he netted a career-high 51 catches for 742 yards and six touchdowns. He’s currently on his third team, but that perseverance will likely pay off for the former University of Utah product.
Pay the Man
The Broncos (3-0) have never fully committed to Patrick, financially, as he’s logged one-year deals in three-consecutive seasons. Patrick’s first team was the Baltimore Ravens, who signed him in May of 2017 as a collegiate free agent. The San Francisco 49ers then acquired the former Ute in July of that same year, only to have the Broncos sign him to their practice squad in October 2017, after the Niners cut him. Patrick bounced around the Broncos’ roster, between being deactivated, being signed off their practice squad, to back to the practice squad for two years, until Denver made somewhat of a commitment to him by inking him to a “reserve/futures” contract on January 1, 2018.
Patrick signed a one-year, $570,000 deal on April 2, 2019. It was the first “big money” deal of his brief NFL career. The Broncos subsequently kept re-upping on one-year deals, including an exclusive-rights free-agent tender for $660,000 on April 20, 2020, and again a $3.38 million restricted free-agent tender on May 18, 2021. The signing was tied to a second-round tender, meaning had any team decided to sign Patrick to a long-term deal, it would’ve had to send a second-round pick back to the Broncos as compensation. That never happened, meaning Patrick is set to be a Bronco for the 2021 season and then let the market determine his market value in the offseason.
The 6-foot-4 wideout will now be set to hit free agency, unrestricted, following the 2021-22 campaign. A decision must be made by new general manager George Paton, because Sutton will be seeking a new long-term contract extension, in 2022, at the same time as Patrick, who has definitely proven his worth as well.
Patrick admirably picked up the slack in Sutton’s absence, and has now been playing level with the former Pro Bowler. Sutton has 15 catches and leads the team with 210 yards receiving, but has yet to get into the end zone. Patrick, meanwhile, has notched 12 catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns — including being an owner of a sick highlight in the Jets contest.
Teddy Bridgewater throws it up for Tim Patrick and the Broncos are back in the redzone
And even this spectacular reception…it’s getting difficult choosing between amazing Patrick catches.
Mind Not on his Money…Yet
While he’s assuredly aware of the money he’s bound to make, following the 2021 season, Patrick insisted he’s not thinking about such riches just yet.
“I try not to [think about contract talks],” the 28-year old said during the off-season, on June 2, 2020. “It’s hard not to, but I try not to, because that’s every kid’s dream. Every guy’s dream is getting that long-term contract. At the end of the day, I have to keep myself motivated someway. … Now, I have to go back to the drawing board and work to get that. That’s my mindset right now. I try not to think about the long-term stuff.”