Report: Malcolm Butler considering retirement

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The Cardinals list Malcolm Butler as their starter at right cornerback. Butler might never play a down for them, however.

The one-time Pro Bowler is dealing with a personal situation that has him mulling retirement, Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports.

Butler signed a one-year deal worth up to $6 million with the Cardinals this offseason after the Titans released him. The team was counting on Butler to replace Patrick Peterson as the team’s top cornerback option.

Butler intercepted Russell Wilson late in Super Bowl LXIX to seal the Patriots’ victory to end the 2014 season. In four seasons with the Patriots and three with the Titans, Butler has 17 interceptions, 82 pass breakups, three sacks and five forced fumbles.

He finished last season with four interceptions, tying a career high, and totaled 14 passes defended and 100 tackles in 16 games.

Butler is a two-time Super Bowl champion who was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2015 and earned second-team All-Pro in 2016.

46 responses to “Report: Malcolm Butler considering retirement

  1. Butler has had a really good run. He basically ruined Russell Wilson’s legacy forever and brought the Seahawks franchise to a stop by himself in one moment.

  2. Greatest pick in NFL history.

    The Butler did it.

    Malcolm is always welcome in every single town of all 6 of New England’s very thankful states.

  3. I wish him well. Hopefully, if he does retire, he finally tells everyone why he was mysteriously benched for Super Bowl LII.

  4. Retire, then write a tell all book about what really happened during that Super Bowl run. $$$

  5. Finally, we may find out what happened before Philly SuperBowl 52, refuse to believe he wouldn’t habe made a difference! Tom would be going for his 9th ring!

  6. UFA made over 42 million. Seattle INT overshadows getting benched for a SBowl. Everyone blames Belichick, but I’m not so sure. Hope his personal problems work out.

  7. capegolfer says:
    August 30, 2021 at 8:59 pm
    Retire, then write a tell all book about what really happened during that Super Bowl run. $$$

    1 1 Rate This

    ————————-

    We know what happened. Why would he want to embarrass himself more in a book?

  8. I wish all the best to the guy who made one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history.

  9. Would like to see him finish the year. AZ has an outside shot. Much better with him than without.

  10. Maybe Belichick knew something when he sat out Butler in SB 52. Perhaps his importance was overstated by the monster play he made in SB 49.

  11. Good luck on your decision. Personal matters are important. But you will miss that last contract money.

  12. a man who made one of the most memorable plays in SB history, and yet his career is a “what if”

  13. As a Seahawks fan I will never forgive him lol. But I wish him the best in whatever things he is dealing with. I hope he is okay. That pick was pretty epic.

  14. He never survived that benching in the Eagles Super Bowl. BB knew what was up. Got him an insane payday tho.

  15. What nobody in New England gets is that Butler was torched in the AFC Championship game. I was there in the nose bleed seats at mid field. He was chasing receivers all game. Everyone around me was pissed at him. That’s why he sat for the Super Bowl.

  16. As a Patriots fan, that Butler interception to win the Super Bowl was one of the happiest moments in my life. I still say that on second and goal with everyone expecting a rush from Lynch (who contrary to his reputation had actually been really poor at finishing plays from the one and was 1 of 5 on the season), it was a justifiable, legitimate and correct play call, and if Lockette hadn’t let Butler barge through him with no resistance, he makes the catch and either wins the game or gets them 3rd and inches with Marshawn Lynch in the backfield. The hate Carroll and Bevell and Bevell get for that play should rightfully be directed at Riccardo Lockette.

  17. This could of really sucked if Arizona didn’t have such a strong off-season F/A and Draft class. Arizona’s rookie CB Marco Wilson who posted the highest relative athletic score ever among DBs while running a 4.37 40, 43.4in vertical and 6.87 3 cone is an elite athlete who was thought of as the most athletic corner in the draft but Wilson can also ball out as well.
    Wilson was flatout dominant in both camp and through the pre season. In his first pre season game he dropped two picks he should of had and was blanketing his receivers step for step and he can play inside or outside. There were already rumors he could steal snaps/playing time from Malcolm butler.
    Byron Murphy JR is sticking to everyone in coverage after transforming his body and looks like a guy who’s going to be in the pro bowl amongst in 2021. His technique is now flawaless you can tell how much work he has put in picking off Patrick Mahomes last weekend. #2 CB RObert Alford is also back to playing at a high level now that he is healthy and when he is he’s one of the best #2CBs in the NFL.Alford looks like himself again which is scary because before this last injury he was one of the best #2CBs in the NFL. Rookie 6″1/190 CB Tay Gowan w/ 4.41spd n 40.5in vertical has looked excellent in games himself and played very well all through camp, he is coming along nicely and backup CB Daryl Worley has also looked good and is a guy you want around as a quality depth player.

    Arizona is pretty strong at cornerback heading into 2021 and have a very strong secondary overall with one of the best safety duos in the NFL and they have two excellent tall very long ILBs in Isaiah Simmons and MLB Zaven Collins who dominate in coverage. Pair that with one of the best pass rush’s & one of the best overall front 7s in the league especially in the NFL finishing 4th in SACKS/QB Hits last year without Chandler Jones, JJ Watt or Dennis Gardeck who miss signifcant time w/ his injury. This DEFENSE IS LEGIT ESP the pass rush is a monster and teams are going to have trouble throwing on this defense regardless as the pass rush is going to be forcing a lot of balls out early making QB’s misfire mentally on bad decisions which will leads to a lot of turnover on downs, pass breakups and INTs so they should be getting their hands on a lot of passes.

    As for Butler I don’t think he will walk away unless it is something dire like his kids deathly ill with an illness (I pray he is not & thats not the case) and in the hospital. Other than that with plenty of good football left I don’t see him walking away from a $6M dollar pay day. I think he stays solely because he’d hate to have to forfit every red cent off a $6M dollar pay day.
    I think he plays but if not AZ is more than ready to play without and still play with a top 5-10 caliber defense with all of the talent this defense has the especially players and depth the D-Line and Pass Rush has but they’ve done a great job in rebuilding that secondary and losing Butler isn’t a major loss as it’s the loss of a quality player and hurts their depth but they can win without him.

    Now lets just hope his personal situation can be solved and he decides to play which I think he will as I dont care who u are $6M is to much to walk away from.

  18. If only BB would have played him instead of stroking his own enormous ego the Patriots would have 7 SB wins instead of 6. Moreover Gronk and Brady would not likely have blown town the first chance they could

  19. Those would hafta be some hella “personal matters” to keep me from earning $6 million this year.

  20. candlestickkid says:
    August 30, 2021 at 8:10 pm
    Butler has had a really good run. He basically ruined Russell Wilson’s legacy forever and brought the Seahawks franchise to a stop by himself in one moment.
    __________________________________

    Butler did not ruin Russell Wilson’s legacy. It’s only one super bowl loss, whereas Brady has three. And you know something? Wilson took the loss like a man, unlike Brady who walked off the field after three super bowl losses and didn’t shake his opponent’s hand. I have more respect for Wilson than I do Brady.

  21. Too bad Belichick benched him in the super bowl and cost New England another title. No way could he have done a worse job than what BB trotted out there. Do your job Bill

  22. Get your life fixed, MB. And then come back if you can. You still got something in the tank and its enough to compete in the NFL.

  23. nhpats2011 says:
    August 31, 2021 at 12:42 am
    If only BB would have played him instead of stroking his own enormous ego the Patriots would have 7 SB wins instead of 6. Moreover Gronk and Brady would not likely have blown town the first chance they could
    —————————————————————————————————-
    Or… if Gronkowski would’ve had more then one catch the entire first half. Perhaps if Brady wouldn’t have been strip sacked, which enabled the Eagles to run the clock down, forcing the Pats to burn timeouts. Maybe if the Pats could’ve gotten at least one sack on the Eagles backup QB the entire game.

  24. ariani1985 says:
    August 30, 2021 at 9:05 pm
    Belidunce has ZERO playoff wins after his release! ZERO!
    ______________________________________

    Um, except they won the Super Bowl against the Rams…

  25. Christopher Allan says:
    August 31, 2021 at 7:33 am

    —————————————————————————————————-
    Or… if Gronkowski would’ve had more then one catch the entire first half. Perhaps if Brady wouldn’t have been strip sacked, which enabled the Eagles to run the clock down, forcing the Pats to burn timeouts. Maybe if the Pats could’ve gotten at least one sack on the Eagles backup QB the entire game.

    __________________________

    Brady cost the Pats SB 52. He missed a wide open James White in the flat on the strip sack play. Instead he was zoning in on Gronk and wanted to get the ball to midfield right before the 2 minute warning. He got greedy.

    Brady also played poorly in SB 42 and 46 vs the GMEN. He was the one who said the Pats were going to score more than 17 points and he couldn’t even lead his team to score that many. In SB 46 it was his intentional grounding penalty in the end zone that cost the Pats.

    BTW, did anyone ever see Michael Jordan not play well in an NBA Finals? Me either…

  26. nhpats2011 says:
    August 31, 2021 at 12:42 am
    If only BB would have played him instead of stroking his own enormous ego the Patriots would have 7 SB wins instead of 6. Moreover Gronk and Brady would not likely have blown town the first chance they could

    25 43 Rate This

    —————-

    Do you believe in the tooth fairy too? Butler rejected 8 mil per after hiring his high school drop out friend as his agent and then pouted all year and then faked the flu, arrived late, and told a def coach to go eff himself.

    The crying and mental instability was the capper.

    Adults need to be held accountable.

  27. ariani1985 says:
    August 30, 2021 at 9:05 pm

    Belidunce has ZERO playoff wins after his release! ZERO!
    =============================================================================
    So that Superbowl in 2018 doesn’t count?

  28. Malcolm has had a fairytale career, and Belichick et al have done pretty well too. There is no tragedy here, aside from as always the Jets.

  29. Brady has shown how much he meant to that idiot coach. Who runs the GOAT out of town when all he needed was quality receivers. You think they miss Tom ? Sometimes when you let a player leave you loose more than just a player. Just plain dumb. See you at home in the playoffs Bill.

  30. biancaneri says:
    August 30, 2021 at 10:39 pm
    As a Patriots fan, that Butler interception to win the Super Bowl was one of the happiest moments in my life. I still say that on second and goal with everyone expecting a rush from Lynch (who contrary to his reputation had actually been really poor at finishing plays from the one and was 1 of 5 on the season), it was a justifiable, legitimate and correct play call, and if Lockette hadn’t let Butler barge through him with no resistance, he makes the catch and either wins the game or gets them 3rd and inches with Marshawn Lynch in the backfield. The hate Carroll and Bevell and Bevell get for that play should rightfully be directed at Riccardo Lockette.
    ———————-
    What are you saying?? That was hands down the worst call I can think of in super bowl history. When you have a RB like Lynch, who already had 100 yards, you pound the rock.

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