For a franchise known for its linebackers and running backs, the Chicago Bears have a rich legacy of kick returners in their 100-year history. From George McAfee to Gale Sayers to Walter Payton to Jerry Azumah to Danieal Manning to Devin Hester, there is no NFL team with a richer history of kick returners.
Cordarrelle Patterson is the latest in a long line of successful kick returners in Chicago. But Patterson doesn’t consider himself up there with two of the greatest returners of all-time: Hester or Sayers.
“It’s a blessing, but I’m just trying to do my job,” Patterson said. “I would never be as great as Devin Hester or Gale Sayers. I just try to do my job each and every day, and it’s just an honor to play on the same field those guys played on.”
Hester and Sayers are two of the best returners in NFL history — and Hester is the greatest ever. But still, Patterson’s career as a kick returner isn’t something to turn your head at.
Patterson, who has earned three Pro Bowl nods, ranks second all-time with a 29.9-yard kickoff return average. He has seven career kick return touchdowns, which is the third most in NFL history, just one behind co-leaders Leon Washington and Josh Cribbs.
Patterson was one of the few bright spots in the Bears’ disappointing 2019 season. In his first year in Chicago, Patterson finished second in the NFL with a 29.5-yard average on 28 kickoff returns, one of which was a 102-yard touchdown against the Saints. He also led the league with 825 kick-return yards.
“There aren’t many guys who are 6-2, 6-3, 220 [pounds], run 4.3 and can cut on a dime,” Patriots special-teams standout Matthew Slater said. “God didn’t make too many of those guys.
“I think you couple that with the fact that he’s so aggressive when he gets out of there with the ball in his hands. He wants to make plays. He loves the game. He’s there for his teammates. I can’t say enough good things about him. His skillset and who he is as a person I think has led him to being arguably one of the best returners in the 100-year history of the game. I sure wish he was still with us and not with [the Bears].”
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