Patterson chosen AP first-team All-Pro

[Staley Da Bear]

For the second straight year and the fourth time in eight NFL seasons, Bears kickoff returner Cordarrelle Patterson has been named Associated Press first-team All-Pro.


Patterson led the NFL with 1,017 kickoff return yards and ranked second with a 29.1-yard average on 35 returns, including a 104-yard touchdown in a Week 10 win over the Vikings.


"He's a special player that does so many great things," coach Matt Nagy told reporters. "I love the fact that he's getting recognized. Teams have to prepare for him, and then just the confidence that he has and what he's done field position-wise, returning one for a touchdown, he's just energetic.


"And on top of that, too, y'all know the type of personality that he is. He's the glue that keeps a lot of us together, and I appreciate that about him. He's a positive, happy-go-lucky guy that is very selfless. It speaks highly of who he is."


Patterson's 104-yard return against Minnesota set a record for the longest kickoff return in Bears history and was the eighth kickoff touchdown of his career, tying Joshua Cribbs and Leon Washington for the most in NFL history.


Patterson is the first Bears kickoff returner to be named first-team All-Pro in back-to-back seasons since Devin Hester in 2006-07. Last year, Patterson also led the NFL in kickoff return yards (825) and ranked second in kickoff-return average (29.5) like he did in 2020.


Patterson was previously named first-team All-Pro when he played for the Vikings as a rookie in 2013 and again in 2016. He was also selected second-team All-Pro in 2015 and 2018.