Patrick was playing on a one-year contract this season but is set to extend his stay at Empower Field; the 27-year-old joined the club in 2017; he has made no drops or fumbles in the last two seasons
Saturday 20 November 2021 08:03, UK
Tim Patrick and the Denver Broncos have agreed to a three-year extension worth $30m (£22.3m) with $18.5m (£13.75m) in guarantees.
Patrick went undrafted out of Utah and was cut by the Ravens, 49ers, and Broncos before catching on in Denver in 2018.
Last year, he began making his mark as the team's most dependable receiver, shining on a roster that includes high draft picks Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler and Courtland Sutton at wide receiver and Noah Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam at tight end.
Over the last two seasons, Patrick has caught 88 passes for 1,265 yards and 10 touchdowns in 25 games with no drops and no fumbles.
Despite being so reliable, Patrick's play still catches people off-guard, and he knows exactly why.
Undrafted, Patrick said back in September: "I'm never going to get viewed as that guy just because I wasn't drafted, so they think my ceiling isn't high. But I'm a different type of undrafted guy so my ceiling is pretty high."
Patrick thinks he might have been the only one who knew the heights he could reach in the NFL back when he was getting cut by the Ravens, 49ers, and even initially by the Broncos in 2017 when he was a rookie.
"In college, I think almost every defence I played all their DBs got drafted, and I'm all of their bad tapes," Patrick said, "so I always had the confidence I just needed an opportunity."
Baltimore coach John Harbaugh insists he saw Patrick's potential when the Ravens took a chance on the raw receiver who missed more games (17) in college because of injuries than he started (14).
"I really liked him. He was one of my favourite guys in camp that year," Harbaugh said in advance of the Ravens' game at Denver last month. "We were unable to hold onto him unfortunately."
The Ravens had other needs and Patrick had to find another opportunity.
"But he's everything you thought he could be: He's a big, physical guy, really showed up on special teams first," Harbaugh said.
"That's where you saw what he was about and that personality as a player has carried over to him as a wide receiver. I mean, he's a big, strong guy. He runs routes really well. He makes a lot of contested catches, and he's a heck of a blocker."
Patrick was playing this season on a one-year, $3.38m (£2.5m) contract after making a combined $1.65m (£1.22m) in his first three seasons in Denver and he was set to hit free agency next year before agreeing terms over a new deal.
