ALAMEDA, Calif. — The Oakland Raiders are trading kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson to the New England Patriots.

A person familiar with the deal said Sunday that the deal will become official when Patterson passes a physical.

Oakland will receive a fifth-round pick and send one of its six sixth-round picks to New England.

Patterson is one of the most accomplished kickoff returners in the game. His career average of 30.2 yards per return ranks second all-time to Hall of Famer Gale Sayers’ 30.6.

Patterson spent one year in Oakland after playing four seasons in Minnesota. The Vikings acquired Patterson with the 29th pick in the 2013 draft after trading up with the Patriots.

Patterson is a wide receiver but has made his biggest impact as a returner, where he has five touchdowns and usually helps create good field position for his teams.

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The Raiders had the best average starting field position after kickoffs last season. The Patriots ranked fourth.

As a receiver, Patterson has averaged only 10 yards per catch while mostly used on screens and short passes. He caught 31 passes for 309 yards last season for Oakland and also ran for 121 yards on 13 carries for three scores.

Matthew Slater, a Patriots special-teams standout, visited the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, according to ESPN, and tackle Cam Fleming is scheduled to visit the Dallas Cowboys on Monday.

Slater, 32, is one of the best special-teams players in the NFL. He’s been named to seven straight Pro Bowls dating to 2011.

Fleming, 25, is one of the best tackles available on the open market.

The multiyear extension between Patrick Chung and the Patriots hasn’t been finalized but is expected to be completed early this week.

STEELERS: Pittsburgh signed inside linebacker Jon Bostic to a two-year contract.

JETS: New York signed former Minnesota quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to a one-year contract.


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