MINNEAPOLIS -- If it wasn't obvious when his role in the offense dissolved in 2014, or when Mike Zimmer plainly stated he needed to improve after that season, or when he caught just two passes in 2015, it should be obvious now: Cordarrelle Patterson has run out of leeway.
The Minnesota Vikings declined the receiver's fifth-year option on Monday, making official an outcome that seemed unthinkable three years ago but appeared unavoidable this year, for the simple fact that the receiver has ceased to be a receiver.
The Vikings planned for Patterson to be a focal point of their offense in 2014 following his breakout rookie season -- remember all the talk about how many plays Norv Turner had designed for him?