Once again, rather than a theory, this is more of a thought.
Something struck me as odd when I was going over the recent episodes in my head, and it was kind of bugging me: exactly on what grounds did Patrick assume that Kira (private investigator from The Red Tattoo) was hired by RJ? I couldn't remember, so I went and re-watched the ending of episode 5.

It turns out, the moment Cooper (was that the name?) says he/Visualize did not bug their office, Patrick says that Kira was hired by RJ. It was the logical conclusion at that moment, since he wasn't aware of the existence of Tyger Tyger.
Now, in view of the recent events, we know that the three dot tattoo is the mark of the organization. And since Kira said nothing else except that her attacker had that tattoo, there is really no evidence to suggest that it was Red John.
Was the person who hired and killed Kira from Tyger Tyger? Most probably. Since they seem to have been keeping tabs on Patrick, they have enough motive to want to be in on whatever his team does (although, the reason for sending a private investigator when the members are all in law enforcement eludes me completely, same goes even if it's RJ's doing).

My point is, we can't say with certainty that RJ was involved, even though Patrick's assumption is understandable. Hence, the tattoo clue might also be bogus.

new scoop from Tvline.
Any news about the
next episodes of The
Mentalist? About the
end of the Red John
arc? –Sal
I am able to rule out one
wild theory — that random-
ish CBI wonk Ron will be
revealed as Jane’s
nemesis. (Some have the
idea that “Ron” is short
for “Red John,” after all,
and the guy does seem
omnipresent.) “That’s a
very clever theory, but
there are no games being
played,” EP Daniel Cerone
assured me. “It is one of
the suspects [on Jane's
list].” Watch for the next
episode of Spoiler Alert!
for my official Red John
prediction, with a twist.

There are many theories that claim RJ is Van Pelt.  It is not:

The last ep of season 1, the sheriff and PJ walk into an abandoned house and PJ almost walks into RJ.  He juggles the door handle but the door is locked.  Behind the door, we see a shadow who is shown leaving a table with  cup of tea on it.  The sheriff is the son of RJ's associate and RJ is staying there. 

While this happens, Rigsby and Cho discover the true identity of the sheriff and call Lisbon.  When she doesn't answer, they call Van Pelt who is at the office.

So, RJ is not Van Pelt or any member of the team.

People......they never said RJ won the Heisman! If he did, they could easily find out what he looked like, end of discussion! And stop assuming he won the Heisman, it literally makes zero sense at all! I'm all for different theories, but please stop with this!

I'm not 100% certain that Red John is Bertram; that's simply what I deduce from the TV Guide's generous dissemination of Mentalist "news" added to my gut reactions while watching the show. Even though I'm not sure that Bertram is a cold-blooded serial killer, wouldn't he be a great fit? I'm not understanding why fans of the show would be let down if they discovered that Red John was Bertram all along, yet you see these same folks accusing Michael Kirkland (oh, come the hell on!). Are you going to accuse Partridge as well? I know i'm going to get some heat for saying that, but if you're sincerely bent on accusing Partridge, please convince me how someone as brilliant as Jane would be so careless as to not ascertain the dude's death!

Red John is someone who can completely mask his ingeniousness when conversing with Patrick. He is (maybe was) a man who can make Jane feel like Jane has the winning hand, but when the results are in, RJ is (was) 3 steps ahead. Speaking of "winning hands," Bertram's poker act with Jane is a sham. He's a master manipulator and deceiver; that's what makes him so potent as Red John. Bertram rarely looses his temper; he's cool, calm and collected, just as a leader needs to be. Also, this is why his public speaking (and disciple-converting) skills are exceptional. The others on the list of 7 (or what was 7) are quick-tempered and rash in their decision-making. They respond with anger and allow their emotions to control them. Oh by the way, this is all based on the simple assumption that the list of RJ suspects is true.

Personally, Bertram seems like the perfect fit. He has been under Jane's nose the entire time, and Jane hadn't the slightest clue (until now, of course). 

I'm not here to bash your theories (I actually love reading all of them) because I believe everyone can input valuable information. I'm just here to say that I need this Red John thing to culminate without any loose ends. For example, I loved LOST. It was probably my all-time favorite show (next to the Mentalist), but when the writers failed to tie up loose ends and unanswered questions, I completely dropped that show on my list of favorites. This is also why Breaking Bad ended on a crescendo. Gilligan and his team brainstormed around 35 different potential endings to the series, and chose the one that most effectively tied up Walter's loose ends. All I hope is that Heller and the other writers/producers have given just as much, if not double the amount of thought to the RJ culmination as Gilligan did to BB. 

Red John is the series' main antagonist for 6 straight seasons, and he (whomever he is) needs to go out WITH A BIG BANG! If he fizzles out, then that's when I'll truly be disappointed. It's not about who is RJ; it's about what happens when we find out.

Thanks for taking your time to read this. Comment, theorize, and enjoy.