Report: Patriots wanted Malcolm Butler back even after Super Bowl benching
One of the most curious subtexts of last season’s Super Bowl, and one never adequately explained, was Bill Belichick’s sudden, strange benching of cornerback Malcolm Butler. The Patriots lost that Super Bowl to the Eagles, and the fact that a playmaker like Butler spent most of the game on the sideline raised a few eyebrows. And as Butler’s new team, the Tennessee Titans, is playing the Patriots on Sunday, the Butler story is getting a new twist: The Patriots wanted him back even after the benching.
Why was Malcolm Butler on the bench in the Super Bowl?
Butler, the hero of the Super Bowl just a few years before, saw exactly one snap during Super Bowl LII, on special teams. He watched from the sideline as the Eagles ran up 538 offensive yards and 41 points in the win. He didn’t confront Belichick or then-defensive coordinator Matt Patricia on the sideline. But after the game, he was spotted weeping, saying, “They gave up on me.”
“Would we have won if I played? Probably. Maybe. I’m not sure,” Butler said in March. “But I would say we were short about one or two plays, and I’ve seen a couple plays out there I could’ve made.”
Patriots still wanted Butler back
A free agent after the Super Bowl, Butler signed a five-year, $61.25 million deal to play in Tennessee after getting interest from the Houston Texans and the Chicago Bears. But according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, those weren’t the only teams interested in Butler. The Patriots apparently told Butler’s agent to contact them if he didn’t get a good enough offer; Rapoport speculated that the Patriots could have paid Butler as much as $10 million a year to line up alongside Stephon Gilmore.
Through eight games, Butler has one interception and 34 solo tackles. He’s had his difficulties; he gave up two touchdowns last week against Dallas. But redemption awaits, and you know that Butler has had Sunday’s game circled on his calendar for months.
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick know Butler well enough to exploit him Sunday afternoon. But if Butler shuts down the Patriots’ receivers, or even grab a Brady pass, that would be a sweet bit of revenge for a still-unknown slight.
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.
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