2024 Steelers Exit Interviews: Kyle Allen and Cordarrelle Patterson

The Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 NFL season has come to a close. Because the Steelers are among the 31 teams who did not finish fulfilling their ultimate goal, they are in the process of wrapping up their season and moving forward into 2025.

Since the Steelers conduct exit interviews with all their players, and the fact I have done these articles in the past, we thought we would do them yet again here at Steel Curtain Network. By outlining two players each day, we will be able to look at their season in retrospect as well as looking toward the future. Since Coach Tomlin has previously stated he starts his interviews with rookies and those heading into free agency, we will attempt to do the same to some degree. To start, we will pair the most recent draftees with another player at the same position (if possible) as we work through this process to eventually cover the entire Steelers roster.

Next up are quarterback Kyle Allen and running back/kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson.

Kyle Allen

Position: Quarterback
Years with the Steelers: 1
Years in the NFL: 7
Contract Status: Free Agent
Contract Details: Contract expiring with no dead money.
Games played in 2024: 1 regular season
Games started in 2024: 0 regular season
Snaps (regular season): 2 (offense)
PFF score: 73.2 (DNQ for ranking)
Notable stats: Allen completed 1 of 1 passing attempts for 19 yards.

Notes: He only got into a game for two snaps during the regular season, but even while doing so Kyle Allen managed to complete a nice 19-yard pass to Pat Freiermuth. Having experience in the NFL does make Allen a good candidate to be a backup quarterback for the Steelers. Even though he’s not under contract, he would be a viable option to return in that role for 2025.

Cordarrelle Patterson

Position: Running Back/Return Specialist
Years with the Steelers: 1
Years in the NFL: 12
Contract Status: Signed through 2025
Contract Details: $3,750,000 salary cap hit for 2025. Would cost the Steelers $950,000 in dead money if released and save $2.8 million.
Games played in 2024: 13 regular season
Games started in 2024: 1 regular season
Snaps (regular season): 110 (offense), 64 (special teams)
PFF score: 67.6 (DNQ for ranking)
Notable stats: Patterson rushed for 135 yards of 32 carries and had 80 receiving yards on 12 receptions from 14 targets. Patterson also had 11 kickoff returns for 240 yards.

Notes: Brought in within hours of the NFL changing to the dynamic kickoff rule, Cordarrelle Patterson didn’t make that much of an impact on special teams in 2024. After missing time due to an injury which occurred in Week 4, Patterson seemed much slower than when the season started. Not impacting the game in a significant way in the role he was specifically brought in to fulfill, the Steelers would be better off moving on from Patterson as a running back. If that is the case, keeping him around just for kickoffs is not wise use of a roster spot. Although there’s no need to part ways now, if the Steelers make additions to running back in both free agency and the draft, Patterson would not be in line to make the Steelers 53-man roster in 2025.

Make sure you check back each day for another set of exit interviews. If you have missed any of the previous articles, they are listed here:

Troy Fautanu & Broderick Jones
Zach Frazier & Ryan McCollum
Roman Wilson & Van Jefferson
Payton Wilson & Patrick Queen
Mason McCormick & James Daniels
Logan Lee & Isaiahh Loudermilk
Ryan Watts & Damontae Kazee
Joey Porter Jr. & James Pierre
Keeanu Benton & Montravius Adams
Darnell Washington & Pat Freiermuth
Nick Herbig & Jeremiah Moon
Cory Trice Jr. & Donte Jackson
Spencer Anderson & Calvin Anderson
Larry Ogunjobi & Preston Smith
Beanie Bishop Jr. & Cameron Sutton
George Pickens & Mike Williams
DeMarvin Leal & Dean Lowry
Calvin Austin III & Ben Skowronek
Connor Heyward & MyCole Pruitt
Mark Robinson & Elandon Roberts
Najee Harris & Jaylen Warren
Russell Wilson & Justin Fields