Patriots taunt Seahawks with Keeper of the Light choice in Week 2 home opener

Since the unveiling of the Patriots' new end zone lighthouse last season, a new pre-game tradition has been installed for every home matchup. A Keeper of the Light will ring the bell before the game begins, which has been reserved for some of the greatest Patriots legends and New England figures so far.

That will continue in the home opener against the Seahawks this weekend, and the absolute best person was chosen to do the honors.

Super Bowl XLIX hero and legend Malcolm Butler.

It is a reunion that felt like it would never happen, given how poorly things ended between the cornerback and the Patriots in 2018. It was clear there had been behind-the-scenes issues for quite some time, which led to Butler's unexplained benching in Super Bowl LII and ultimately ended with him signing with the Titans in free agency.

Because of how that Super Bowl went down and the Patriots' defense being the ones to blame for the loss (besides the referees changing the rules for the game without any reason to), fans believed Butler's benching was a significant contributor to their struggles.

In the years since, no answers have been provided as to why Bill Belichick made the decision, not from the head coach or the cornerback himself.

Fortunately, despite it all, things were apparently smoothed over between the two, as Butler briefly returned to New England in 2022. He came out of retirement to sign with his old team but was released during roster cuts later that summer.

Regardless, the relationship between Butler and the organization remains intact, and he will now be the first Keeper of the Light on Sunday afternoon. It's quite a message to send to the Patriots opponents, who were the victims of his legendary end zone interception in 2014, which led to New England's fourth Lombardi trophy.

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