The Pittsburgh Steelers signed running back and return specialist Cordarrelle Patterson to a two-year, $6 million contract, NFL Network and ESPN reported Tuesday.
After reinventing himself as a running back for the past three seasons in Atlanta, Patterson will follow former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith to Pittsburgh, where the latter is now the offensive coordinator.
Patterson entered the league as a wide receiver and a first-round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2013. He was a four-time Pro Bowler, a four-time first-team All-Pro selection and a two-time second-team All-Pro as a returner over the first eight years of his career with Minnesota (2013-16), Oakland (2017), New England (2018) and Chicago (2019-20).
Patterson, 33, has returned nine kicks for touchdowns in his career, though just one in his past three seasons. He led the league in kick return yardage in 2019 (825) and 2020 (1,017).
He started 13 games at running back for Atlanta in 2021, appearing in 16 games total, and had a career-high 1,166 yards from scrimmage (618 rushing, 548 receiving). In three seasons with the Falcons, Patterson tallied 1,494 rushing yards, 708 receiving yards and 20 total touchdowns.
