:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47568559/usa-today-8896761.0.jpg)
With the National Football League trade deadline approaching, it's entirely possible that we could see a few teams making moves to solidify themselves as they prepare for the stretch run in the second half of the season.
From reports, however, one prominent(?) member of the Minnesota Vikings is not available in a trade.
According to Pro Football Talk, wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson is apparently not on the trade block.
Patterson has completely disappeared this season, as he's now pretty clearly #6 on the Vikings' six-man depth chart at wide receiver. He's only making a shade over $1 million this season. . .yes, "only" $1 million. . .and has caught just two passes this season, but the Vikings still apparently don't feel compelled to move on from him.
Or, perhaps, nobody's willing to give anything up for him at this point. That seems just about as likely, in my opinion.
Things have gone dramatically downhill for Patterson since the second half of his rookie season in 2013. He was once the most feared kick returner in the league and appeared to be on track to be a true multi-purpose threat. However, he hasn't found the end zone since Week 7 of the 2014 season against the Buffalo Bills and, quite frankly, has come up small in the kick return game for most of the year as well. In Sunday's come-from-behind victory over the Chicago Bears, Patterson averaged 21.5 yards/return, including a 16-yard return that "set up" the drive that gave the Vikings their tying touchdown.
Most of the snaps that Patterson has seen so far this year on offense have come in multiple tight end sets, and it's almost as though he's being used as a decoy of some sort. . .although, at this point, I'm not exactly sure why he'd draw extra attention from opposing defenders.
It's entirely possible that the Minnesota Vikings could make a move or two during the next couple days leading up to the NFL trading deadline. However, if the reports are to be believed, none of those deals will involve Cordarrelle Patterson.