Two Former Patriots Players Sign With Falcons In NFL Free Agency

A couple of Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots alums are taking their talents to Atlanta.

The Falcons on Thursday announced the signings of wide receiver/kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson and safety Duron Harmon.

Patterson was a second-team All-Pro kick returner on the Patriots’ 2018 championship team, ranking third in the league in kick return average in his lone season in New England. He also caught three touchdown passes and served as an emergency running back when injuries sidelined Sony Michel and Rex Burkhead.

The 30-year-old Patterson spent the last two seasons with the Chicago Bears and flourished in the return game, earning back-to-back first-team All-Pro nods as a kick returner.

Harmon won three Super Bowls and played in another during his seven-year Patriots tenure, which began when New England drafted him in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. The Patriots traded Harmon — a pseudo-starter as their third safety behind Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung — to the Detroit Lions last offseason in a cap-clearing move.

There was speculation that Harmon could be a free agent option for New England this offseason, as the Patriots lack free safety depth behind McCourty, who turns 34 in August. The Patriots could look to address that need in the 2021 NFL Draft, which kicks off two weeks from Thursday.

The Falcons are scheduled to host the Patriots at Mercedes-Benz Stadium this season.