Vikings' Mike Zimmer: No chance we trade Cordarrelle Patterson

Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer says team will not trade wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson

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The Minnesota Vikings have had a different offseason. There has been much back-and-forth about the future of three-time All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson, which is very much still in question.

But there has been speculation about another Vikings skill player, wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson. After acquiring Mike Wallace from the Miami Dolphins for a third-round pick, Patterson seemingly became a viable trade candidate.

Head coach Mike Zimmer shot that down Tuesday, when speaking with NBC Sports Radio via ESPN 1500, “No, no chance whatsoever. Cordarrelle is a young, emerging player who was with his third coordinator in three years.”

Much of the anticipation of a trade of Patterson are due to his alleged difficulties picking up the team’s playbook. Zimmer attempted to justify his young receiver, while maintaining a firm stance.

“Quite frankly, we need to do a good job of figuring out how we can use him better and he needs to understand where he’s supposed to be, the routes and everything.”

Patterson was a first-round pick in 2013, and was supposed to Teddy Bridgewater’s primary target in the Vikings’ offense last season sans Adrian Peterson. But it didn’t work out that way.

After a 45 catch season as a rookie, Patterson and the rookie quarterback were unable to get on the same page. He was targeted just 67 times last season, catching just 33 of them. His yards per reception increased from 10.4 in 2013 to 11.6 in 2014, but all the other numbers were less impressive.

Still, Zimmer and his staff insists Patterson can become a player for Minnesota. In December, wide receivers coach, George Stewart, relayed that message, “He’s going to be a good football player for us. He’s a first-round pick for a reason; and he’s going to be very successful for us going forward.”

That came after fellow 2013 draft pick Charles Johnson usurped him in playing time and production in the latter half of last season. With Wallace now on the scene, it would seem Johnson and the former Steeler and Dolphin would be the “starting” receivers for Minnesota’s traditional offense, which operates out of a lot of “base personnel”.

But offensive coordinator Norv Turner has learned the value of three- and four-receiver sets, and uses them, even within the confines of his “Air Coryell” offense.

Bridgewater himself recently said he was not satisfied with last season. The final pick of the 2014 first-round is expected to make leaps in his second year in the league and under Turner–known as a quarterback guru.

Having Zimmer’s confidence in Patterson rewarded would go a long way toward that goal.

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Vikings’ Mike Zimmer: No chance we trade Cordarrelle Patterson

By Will Osgood | Mar 24, 2015

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