RUMOR: Cordarrelle Patterson on Trade Block? Sort Of (UPDATE: Denials)
Arif Hasan
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UPDATE: And here we go—
Source tells me the #Vikings Patterson trade rumors are absolutely not true. The manure is getting deeper by the hour.
— Mark Craig (@markcraignfl) March 12, 2015
Joby Branion, Patterson’s agent, on the trade talk report: “Categorically false.” Checking elsewhere, & that seems to be right on. #vikings — Darren Wolfson (@DarrenWolfson) March 12, 2015
I’ve said before that I’m not the biggest fan of Omar Kelly, but neither do I think he’s a liar. I’ll also stand by what I’ve heard. I think the truth is still that the Vikings entertained an offer, but anything would have to be high before they part ways with him. It sounds like any offer they heard was not high enough, so they don’t plan on trading him.
Which is to say, like any team, the Vikings want to know what their assets are worth. In this case, that doesn’t mean they shopped him or tried to get rid of him, but simply heard what someone else was willing to provide.
According to Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, receiver Cordarrelle Patterson is being shopped around actively by the Vikings for a trade:
The Vikings are trying to move Cordarrelle Patterson, but there’s A REASON (he can’t learn the offense).
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) March 12, 2015
Later, Pete Bercich—former Minnesota Vikings linebacker and color commentator on the Vikings Radio Network—followed it up with this:
Rumor – Texans inquiring about Patterson in a trade. Vikes not actively shopping him, but gauging value — PeteBercich (@PeteBercich) March 12, 2015
Hearing back from a set of sources on this, I’ve heard conflicting stories. One told me that the Vikings were actively seeking to move him, but would not do so at a low price. That source tells me the Vikings are frustrated with his development as a receiver and want to explore the value he has an asset instead of as a receiver.
The other told me that the Vikings, like Bercich said, are only sending out “feelers” and attempting to gauge his value. They may be willing to move him, but aren’t working the phones to do it. That second take accords with what Ben Goessling of ESPN said:
Haven’t heard a specific Patterson rumor today, but have heard before the #Vikings would think about moving him. Wouldn’t shock me.
— Ben Goessling (@GoesslingESPN) March 12, 2015
The language I’m hearing from people on this one is not as strong as the Peterson report we published earlier suggests. My feeling on this is that Goessling and Bercich are closer to the truth: the Vikings are looking to see what a trade could fetch, but at the moment aren’t moving hard on it.