Stephen A., Canty clash over Aaron Rodgers criticism (1:58)
Stephen A. Smith and Chris Canty get into it over whether Aaron Rodgers gets unfairly criticized. (1:58)
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Brooke PryorJul 28, 2025, 12:07 PM ET
- Brooke Pryor is a reporter for NFL Nation at ESPN who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2019. She previously covered the Kansas City Chiefs for the Kansas City Star and the University of Oklahoma for The Oklahoman.
PITTSBURGH — The Steelers are releasing four-time All-Pro returner Cordarrelle Patterson, he announced on social media Monday.
Patterson, 34, took a sarcastic tone in his X post:
Breaking news❗️❗️❗️Pittsburgh Steelers release old washed up cordarrelle patterson on his day off!!!
— cordarrelle patterson (@ceeflashpee84) July 28, 2025
By moving on from Patterson, the Steelers save $2.8 million in cap space. The team initially signed the veteran last offseason following a rule change to kickoffs to make the play more dynamic. Patterson, though, had just 11 kick returns for 240 yards in his lone season with the Steelers. That mark was his second-lowest season total after recording just 153 yards on seven returns in 2023.
Limited by a midseason ankle injury, Patterson played in 13 games last season and picked up 135 yards on 32 carries. He also had 12 receptions on 14 targets for 80 yards and a touchdown.
Patterson didn’t participate in the team’s offseason activities and didn’t practice in any of the team’s first four training camp practices this season.
