The New England Patriots are hosting cornerback Malcolm Butler on a free agency visit on Monday, according to the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin.
Butler is, of course, a Super Bowl hero for New England. He recorded the game-winning interception of Russell Wilson on the goal line in Super Bowl XLIX. He did not play, however, in Super Bowl LII after Bill Belichick inexplicably benched the cornerback. Butler spent time in retirement in 2021 after joining the Arizona Cardinals in free agency that year. He didn’t play a game for them.
Butler entered the NFL out of West Alabama as an undrafted free agent and steadily made his way up the Patriots depth chart in his rookie season in 2014. By his second season, he was a starting cornerback, often taking the opponent’s best receiver in coverage.
Scoop: The Patriots are hosting a free agent CB for a tryout this morning.
He won one Super Bowl with an interception in the end zone. And he was surprisingly benched in another Super Bowl.https://t.co/Bmu4tQPZb1
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) March 21, 2022
The Patriots signed cornerback Stephon Gilmore during free agency in 2017 and his substantial contract led to Butler’s exit in 2018 when he signed with the Tennessee Titans for a five-year, $61 million contract.
New England’s cornerback depth chart includes Jalen Mills, Jonathan Jones, Myles Bryant, Joejuan Williams, Shaun Wade and Terrance Mitchell. New England saw both Gilmore and cornerback J.C. Jackson depart in the last 12 months, and need to rebuild the unit.
