WASHINGTON — Jaret Patterson is coming back home to play for the team he grew up cheering for, The Washington Football Team.
"It's unreal," said Patterson. "It feels like a movie. I grew up a Washington fan."
Patterson is from Glenn Dale, Maryland. He's a graduate of St. Vincent Pallotti High School in Laurel, Maryland.
After Washington's NFL team signed Patterson as an undrafted free agent, he took to Twitter and posted his childhood picture of when he attended Washington Football training camp with the captain "Already written."
Patterson says he grew up watching players like Clinton Portis, Chris Cooley and the late Sean Taylor as a Washington Football fan.
"All those legends that played for the organization and now I play for that team. I went to the facility today and I got goosebumps" said Patterson.
Jaret's parents still live in the DMV area. Jaret says his mom may have been more excited about him joining the Washington Football team.
"Oh my mom was hyped," said Patterson. "It means a lot. They can check on me or I can check on them."
Patterson did admit having family close means you can always stop by for family cooking.
"My mom's cooking or grandma's cooking is a go-to. When I was in Buffalo, I didn't have that family time so this is definitely big," he added.
At the University of Buffalo, Patterson tied an NCAA single-game record with eight rushing touchdowns against Kent State in a 70-41 win. He declared for the NFL draft following his junior year.
Patterson's name wasn't called during the 2020 NFL draft but it was Washington's Chase Young that helped persuade coaches to sign Patterson.
"Chase vouched for me. He talked to the head coach Ron Rivera and the coaching staff. I'm ready to put that work in and prove myself right and Chase right because he vouched for me."
Patterson is listed at 5-6 and 195 pounds. Patterson says that he has always been overlooked and he's going to use that as motivation to prove that he belongs not just in Washington but the National Football League.
"I've always been the underdog," said Patterson. "When my name wasn't called during the NFL draft my family was more upset. I told them, 'I've been here before. I've been told I wasn't fast enough or I was too small. This is nothing new to me. I'm a grinder. I know the work I have to put in. I have 100% confidence in myself that I'm going to get this done. I can't wait to get to work and prove why I belong.'"
