Malcolm Butler has experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows with the New England Patriots. In Super Bowl XLIX, Butler caught the game winning interception as the Seattle Seahawks inexplicably threw the ball from the 1-yard line. In Super Bowl LII, Butler was benched for reasons that have remained unclear to this day and was gone from the team that offseason.
Four years have passed and the two sides may be reuniting once again.
According to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, Butler is back in Foxborough for a tryout to replace the departing J.C. Jackson. Butler retired last August for personal reasons but in his final season with the Tennessee Titans, Butler had career highs in tackles and interceptions as the Titans reached the playoffs.
Butler was officially released by the Arizona Cardinals last month and when that happened, he has tried out for multiple teams. It’s important to note that Butler tried out for two other teams that knew him from his time in New England, the Las Vegas Raiders (Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler) and the Houston Texans (Nick Caserio).
It’s still not clear what happened that resulted in Butler’s benching at the Super Bowl but Butler didn’t burn any bridges and didn’t publicly criticize the Patriots or Bill Belichick. That’s probably a good reason why Butler is being brought back for a potential second run.
About Phillip Bupp
Producer/editor of the Awful Announcing Podcast and Short and to the Point. News editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. Highlight consultant for Major League Soccer as well as a freelance writer for hire. Opinions are my own but feel free to agree with them.
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