Cordarelle Patterson Lobbying For Atlanta Falcons Return

Atlanta Falcons running back Cordarrelle Patterson says his incredible form last season made him feel like a kid again.

As a result, the free agent is desperate to return to Atlanta and he’s not being coy about it, either.

Cordarelle Patterson set career highs in rushing yards (618), receiving yards (547) and all-purpose touchdowns (11) last season.

“It was crazy, really, middle of the year, when I just started blowing up,” Cordarrelle Patterson said. “It really just felt like college all over again. Like wow, this is how fun it used to feel, that’s how fun it is to be out here really playing and just having fun, being like a kid all over again.”

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“People say, ‘He’s 30, man, he’s about to be 31, he can’t.’ I still got it, man. Line me up, put me anywhere on the field, I’m going to do it.”

His childlike joy is something he shares with the fans as well. Patterson is famed for playing catch with the fans before games, and generally making them a big part of his experience.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank commended this, although he remains noncommittal on a potential return.

“I’ve never seen a player actually go around the stadium and warm up by throwing balls and playing catch with fans in the stands, and I think that’s really cool,” Blank said. “We didn’t ask him to do it. He just kind of does it. So I think he’s great on the field, great off the field.”

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“When you get somewhere, Atlanta feels like home, so why not retire here and end my career here,” Patterson said. 

“It feels good. It feels like it’s the right place, but at the end of the day, I’ve got to do what’s best for me and my family, you know, and if Atlanta is not that place, then it’s not that place.

“Hopefully it is, but if it’s not, I’ll move on with my life. Being vocal, that’s just something that I do, man. When I first got to Atlanta, I said, I’ll get in, get the fans involved so when it’s time to get a new contract, I’ve got the fans on my side. So it all played out just how I expected it to.”