Former four-time Pro Bowl WR Cordarrelle Patterson arrested on domestic assault charge

The four-time All-Pro return specialist was taken into custody early Saturday in Tennessee and released later that night, according to police records

Oct 18, 2026 at 9:05 am ET • 1 min read

Former NFL standout Cordarrelle Patterson, a four-time Pro Bowler, was arrested early Saturday in Tennessee on a domestic assault charge. The 35-year-old ex-return specialist was arrested Saturday morning by the Sevierville Police Department in Clover, Tennessee, according to sheriff's office documents and later released at 10:15 p.m.

TMZ Sports was first to report Patterson's arrest, but no further details have been released outside of the arrest documents.

Patterson last played during the 2024 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who released him last summer ahead of the 2025 campaign. Patterson spent just one season in Pittsburgh after signing a two-year contract in April 2024. 

"Breaking news ... Pittsburgh Steelers release old washed up Cordarrelle Patterson on his day off," Patterson wrote on his social media pages at the time.

In his lone campaign with the Steelers, he logged 11 kick returns for 240 yards. He was also used as a gadget player on offense, where he had 12 catches for 80 yards and one touchdown and 32 rushes for 135 yards. 

Prior to signing with Pittsburgh, Patterson spent three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, where he logged 24 of his 61 career starts on offense. He had a career-high 52 catches for 548 yards and five touchdowns in 2021 before recording a career-high 695 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in 2022. 

Patterson's career numbers

Year	Team	Offensive touches	Total yards	TD	Kick returns	Yards	TD
2013	MIN	57	627	7	43	1,393	2
2014	MIN	43	501	2	34	871	0
2015	MIN	4	25	0	32	1,019	2
2016	MIN	59	496	2	25	792	1
2017	OAK	44	430	2	19	538	0
2018	NE	63	475	4	23	663	1
2019	CHI	28	186	0	28	825	1
2020	CHI	83	364	1	35	1,017	1
2021	ATL	205	1,166	11	18	434	0
2022	ATL	165	817	8	9	284	1
2023	ATL	59	219	1	7	153	0
2024	PIT	44	215	1	11	240	0

Patterson's biggest NFL impact came as a return specialist. He twice led the NFL in kick return yardage (2019 and 2020, both with the Chicago Bears) and was a four-time first-team All-Pro as a kick returner. He was also a member of the NFL's 2010s All-Decade team. 

He holds the NFL record for most kickoff return touchdowns with nine.

Patterson's career began with the Minnesota Vikings as a first-round pick in 2013 after starring at Tennessee. He later won a championship with the Patriots after beating the Rams in Super Bowl LIII.