Cordarrelle Patterson rumors: Vikings gauging trade value?

Are the Minnesota Vikings quietly gauging the value of wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson with an eye toward moving the former first round draft pick?

At least one report suggests that the Vikings have been in touch with more than one team to find out what Patterson might be worth on the market.

Patterson has been a non-factor thus far in 2015 as both a returner and a receiver and his value arguably went down even further on Sunday thanks to the emergence of rookie Stefon Diggs.

In four games this year, Patterson has been targeted just twice as a receiver for ten yards. He has also rushed the ball one time for nine yards.

As a returner, Patterson has mostly stood in the end zone watching kickoffs sail over his head. His longest return of the year was 33 yards and he hasn’t come close to breaking one for a TD.

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By contrast, fifth-round draft pick Diggs was targeted 10 times just this weekend, catching six passes for 87 yards. Diggs’ skill set could also make him a good return man.

With Patterson’s role seemingly diminishing on a weekly basis, it makes all the sense in the world for the Vikings to put out trade feelers in hopes of cutting their losses on the ineffective third-year wide-out.

But what realistically would Patterson fetch the Vikings in a trade at this point?

Patterson came into the league as a talented but raw player who many thought could make an immediate impact in the return game and on gadget plays but who would need time to develop as a wide-out.

Indeed, Patterson did have impact in his rookie season, generating plenty of excitement about what he would be able to do once he polished his receiving skills.

But polishing those receiving skills has proved a daunting task for Patterson, who failed to develop in year two and seems just as lost in year three.

Norv Turner has been criticized for not attempting to get Patterson more involved in the offense but even if Norv did design plays for Patterson, his impact as an offensive player would remain negligible.

Patterson will only truly impact the offense if he learns the finer points of playing receiver but he seems unwilling or unable to do so.

Patterson’s maturity has also been questioned, and these questions led Mike Zimmer to recommend that Patterson meet with a mentor in the offseason, a recommendation that Patterson elected not to follow up on.

Seemingly, Patterson is stuck in the mud both in his development as a receiver and as a professional.

Any team looking to take Patterson off the Vikings’ hands would have to see him as a continuing project and for that reason I doubt the Vikings would get much in return if they traded him.

There’s no chance for the Vikings to get back the first round pick they used on Patterson, nor the other picks Rick Spielman traded to acquire that first round pick from New England.

Any way you slice it, the Vikings are going to have to eat it on Patterson.

With the receiver corps setting up the way it does now, there’s very little reason to keep activating Patterson week after week. So trying to move him only make sense.

And if they can’t move him, they’ll either have to scratch him from the active line-up or keep him active as a return man and sit down someone else who has more overall value.

There is no good answer here, just a buffet of bad ones.

Next: Stefon Diggs emerges as a player

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