Why Patriots-Malcolm Butler reunion has no chance of happening

The New England Patriots will be forever indebted to Malcolm Butler for helping seal a Super Bowl win for the squad. Unfortunately, the former undrafted free agent has been through a ton of ups and downs over the last few seasons, starting with his mysterious benching in Super Bowl LII.

After that move, Butler parlayed his success in New England into a five-year contract with the Tennessee Titans. His performance dipped in stunning fashion, which led to former Pats executive Jon Robinson cutting ties with him just three years into that contract.

After signing with the Cardinals, Butler decided to leave Arizona and retire before this season. His retirement was short-lived, as after one season at home, Butler has reportedly decided to come out of retirement. After being released from Arizona’s reserve/retired list, Butler is a free agent.

While some Patriots fans might want to bring Butler back as a backup to strengthen the secondary, the last few years have made it clear that he is not the same player he was early in his tenure with New England. Bringing him back could have some disastrous consequences.

Will Malcolm Butler return to the New England Patriots?

Butler is not only not the same player that he was in New England given how quickly he fell off in Tennessee, but he will turn 32 in March and will be coming off a year away from the game. Assuming that he is going to change the state of the defensive backfield would be foolish.

While New England would like to retain JC Jackson, it’s not a sure thing that he’ll start the season with the Patriots. If he leaves, New England would need to either acquire a veteran star to replace him or use their first-round draft choice to pick a successor. Butler wouldn’t provide much outside of experience and depth.

The list of cornerbacks who are 32 years old and still nearly elite at their position is very short, and the list of DBs who suddenly became elite once more after several disappointing seasons and a year out of football is even smaller. The Butler we saw in New England may not return for a second go ’round.

Butler will have a place in Patriots history forever thanks to that Super Bowl-sealing interception, but a return just does not make sense at this moment in time. Butler could help a team in need of some serious depth, but New England should look in a different direction.

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