David Patten David Patten ( born August 19 , 1974 in Hopkins , South Carolina ) is a former American football wide receiver . He was signed by the Albany Firebirds as a street free agent in 1996 . He played college football at Western Carolina . Patten was also a member of the Washington Redskins , New Orleans Saints , Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots . He earned three Super Bowl ring s with the Patriots . Early years . Patten played football at Lower Richland High School in Hopkins , South Carolina , where he caught passes from future Major League Baseball player Pokey Reese . College career . After graduating from high school , Patten attended Western Carolina University . As a junior in 1994 , he averaged 3 . 6 catches , good for sixth in the Southern Conference . In 1995 , his senior season , Patten recorded 59 catches for 881 yards and was named to the All - Southern Conference team . Professional career . Albany Firebirds . Patten went undrafted in the 1996 NFL Draft but began his professional football career by playing for the Arena Football League ' s Albany Firebirds in the summer of 1996 . He signed late in the AFL ' s season and played in their final regular season game on August 2 , 1996 in a 54 - 49 win over the Milwaukee Mustangs . Patten caught two passes for 37 yards in the game . Patten saw action in both Firebirds ' playoff contests the same season . In a first round 79 - 58 win over the Mustangs the following week in Albany , Patten caught four passes for 111 yards and one touchdown . He then played in the Firebirds ' quarter - final loss at the Iowa Barnstormers . Patten caught three passes for 42 yards as his Firebirds were eliminated 62 - 55 by Iowa and their quarterback Kurt Warner . New York Giants . After spending the rest of the 1996 season out of football , Patten was signed by the New York Giants on March 24 , 1997 . He was waived by the Giants on August 24 , 1997 , and re - signed to their practice squad the next day . Two days later , the Giants signed Patten to their 53 - man roster . He played in 16 games for the Giants in 1997 , catching 13 passes for 226 yards and returning eight kickoffs for 123 yards . In 1998 , Patten played in 12 games for the Giants , returning 43 kickoffs for 928 yards and one touchdown , while also catching 11 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown . In 1999 , his final season with the Giants , Patten played in 16 games , leading the team with 33 kickoff returns for 673 yards as well as recording nine receptions for 115 yards . First stint with Browns . Following the 1999 season , Patten signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Cleveland Browns . He spent one season with the team , starting 10 of 14 games and recording 38 receptions for 546 yards . First stint with the Patriots . In 2001 , Patten signed as a free agent with the New England Patriots . He started 14 games at wide receiver for the Patriots in 2001 , setting a then - career - high with 51 catches for 749 yards . Against the Indianapolis Colts on October 21 , 2001 , Patten became the sixth player in NFL history to run , catch , and throw for a touchdown in a 38 – 17 win ; he was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance . Patten also caught a touchdown pass from Tom Brady in the Patriots ' Super Bowl XXXVI win over the St . Louis Rams in February 2002 , earning his first Super Bowl ring . In 2002 , Patten again started 14 of 16 games , setting a career - high with 61 receptions , 824 yards , and five touchdowns while leading Patriots receivers with 13 . 5 yards per catch . Patten started five of the team ' s first six games in 2003 before being placed on injured reserve on November 7 . Patten returned to start 11 of 16 games in 2004 , recording 44 catches for 800 yards and seven touchdowns and earning his third Super Bowl ring in a win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX ; however , he did not start a game in the playoffs , being surpassed by younger wide receivers Deion Branch and David Givens on the depth chart . Washington Redskins . Following the 2004 season , Patten signed a five - year , $ 13 million contract with the Washington Redskins . Patten started seven of the first nine games of the season with the Redskins before being placed on injured reserve on November 18 . He finished the season with 22 receptions for 217 yards . In 2006 , Patten played in the first four games of the season , recording one reception for 25 yards , his only catch of the season . He was inactive for the remainder of the season except Week 17 . He was released by the Redskins on March 22 , 2007 . New Orleans Saints . A few weeks after his release from Washington , Patten signed a one - year deal with the New Orleans Saints . He went on to have the second - best season of his career statistically , catching 54 passes for 792 yards and three touchdowns . Patten started three of the first four games for the Saints in 2008 , but played in only one game after that due to injuries . He finished the season with 11 catches for 162 yards and one touchdown and was released by the Saints following the season . Second stint with Browns . Patten signed with the Cleveland Browns for the second time on March 23 , 2009 . He was released on September 5 , 2009 . Return to New England . On February 24 , 2010 , Patten was signed by the Patriots . Retirement . On July 31 , 2010 , Patten announced his retirement . Return to Western Carolina University . David Patten has returned to Western Carolina University to complete his degree in social work and will be coaching the Western Carolina University Catamounts , under second - year head coach , Mark Speir .