New England Patriots: Duron Harmon Hopes Malcolm Butler Stays

Recently re-signed Duron Harmon hopes that his teammate, Malcolm Butler, will be back with the team despite the trade rumors.

The New England Patriots have had an extremely busy offseason. As expected, the Patriots had to make a lot of moves in order to retain or replace some of their key players.

Last season, one of the great strengths for the Patriots was their secondary. Unfortunately, that was where some of their question marks were this offseason. One of the first moves the Patriots made was the shocking signing of cornerback Stephon Gilmore. With Malcolm Butler being a restricted free agent, seeing the Patriots sign Gilmore was very surprising.

In addition to signing Gilmore, the Patriots also re-signed safety, Duron Harmon. Even though Harmon wasn’t a starter for the Patriots last season, he plays a very important role in their defense when they decide to use three safeties.

As a teammate of Butler’s last season, Harmon hopes that he will be back next season.

"“I love Malcolm. I love being his teammate and what he brings to the football field and the locker room. I would love being his teammate,” Harmon said to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. “It’s a business more than anything. I know people have to do what’s best for them. I’m rooting for him that he gets to do whatever he feels is best for him.”"

After seeing what Gilmore received in his contract with the Patriots, Butler is understandably not pleased with his current contract situation.

Since the offseason began, Butler and the Saints have been linked to each other. The Saints have plenty of needs on the defensive side of the ball, and Butler is the caliber of player that could help them immensely.

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As of now, Harmon and Butler are still teammates. If the Patriots do end up keeping Butler this season, these two will be part of arguably the best secondary in the NFL.