Cordarrelle Patterson might be a wide receiver by nature, but that didn't stop him from putting on his NFL analyst hat Monday night, and breaking down the 2016 Oakland Raiders.
"I hate to see what happened to [Derek Carr] last year, because I believe they would have won the Super Bowl," said Patterson.
He then paused for a split second, and immediately corrected himself.
"We *would have a won a Super Bowl," Patterson said with a big smile. "I can say that now. *We would have won a Super Bowl."
The Raiders signed the explosive return man Monday night, and the former Minnesota Viking didn't mince words; the presence of Derek Carr, and some friendly recruiting by No. 4 himself, is a big reason why he ultimately decided to sign with the Silver and Black.
"He's a great guy," Patterson said of his new starting quarterback. "I met him last night, and he had nothing but positive things to say. He told me he'd been a fan of mine since I was in college. He was a year under me, so I'm like, I want to catch touchdown passes from this guy. I'm excited to be here. I'm excited for Raider Nation. I'm just excited to start this journey."
The 25-year-old wide receiver has seven career receiving touchdowns, and entering 2017, he's looking forward to getting to work with Carr, one of the best, young quarterbacks in the NFL.
"A guy like him, who can do anything that God has given him, it's amazing for me, for 'Coop', [Michael] Crabtree, all those other guys in that room, and I know they appreciate him like I'm going to appreciate him," Patterson said. "The things he do, and the things I see on film, the things he do, it's incredible, and to come into this organization, and start fresh, it's going to be exciting."
Patterson arrives in Oakland after spending the first four seasons of his career with the Minnesota Vikings, where he was not only an offensive threat, but a dynamic return man as well; you need to look no further than his 30.4 kickoff return average for proof of that.
And since the Raiders haven't returned a kickoff for touchdown since 2011 – a fact that Patterson himself is well aware of – the pairing of the former Tennessee Volunteer with the Silver and Black seems like a good fit for both sides.
"On my way over here, everybody's like, 'hey, let's sign him, we haven't had a kickoff return in so many years,' and all that stuff, but I'm just coming here to work," he said. "I'm not going to say I'm going to be the greatest guy, the greatest special teams guy, greatest kickoff returner, receiver. I want to come in and work."
He continued, "I want those other guys on the team to show me how to work, show me the ropes. I want to follow their lead… It's my first day here, I'm not going to say I'm going to take anybody's job. I want to go out and work, compete for a job, [and] have some fun while we're doing it."
