Cordarrelle Patterson was one of the lone bright spots for the Chicago Bears over the last couple of mediocre 8-8 seasons. Now, the two-time All-Pro kick returner is finding a new home for the 2021 season.
Patterson has visited with the Atlanta Falcons and is expected to sign with the team, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. He follows in the similar footsteps of former Bears great kick returner Devin Hester, who after eight seasons in Chicago signed with the Falcons in free agency.
It sounded like Patterson wanted to return to the Bears. But given the salary cap struggles that GM Ryan Pace has dug himself into, there was no way Chicago could afford to pay Patterson around the $5 million they had last season.
As you can imagine, Bears fans weren’t happy with news of Patterson’s official departure from Chicago. It’s another brutal blow during an offseason that has dealt blow after blow for a franchise whose future was promising just three years ago.
Here’s what Twitter had to say about Patterson’s exit from Chicago: