Malcolm Butler released by Patriots with injury settlement
Patriots removed Malcolm Butler from IR with an injury settlement
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 25, 2022
Malcolm Butler, the hero of Super Bowl XLIX, has been released from injured reserve by the New England Patriots.
The veteran cornerback was placed on IR ahead of the first roster cut deadline down to 85 players. That move essentially ended any chances of him suiting up in a Patriots uniform for the 2022 season.
By rule, players placed on IR ahead of the 53-man roster cut can’t play until the following season.
However, now that the Patriots have released Butler, he’s free to sign wherever he wants. And assuming that he’s healthy, he’d be eligible to return at some point for the new team.
The move might signal that Butler’s actual injury isn’t necessarily season-ending. Both sides agreed on an injury settlement to push the move forward, per Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson.
It was always going to be a long-shot for Butler to make the 53-man roster with a fierce training camp battle unfolding in the defensive backfield. The fact that we won’t get to see him in at least one regular season game back in a Patriots uniform is a bit of a disappointment.
Butler will always hold a special place in the hearts of Patriots fans for the interception he snagged off Russell Wilson to secure the franchise’s fourth Super Bowl victory.
This brief stroll down memory lane was exactly that for both the Patriots and Butler.
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