I started working out immediately, because I knew it could be a possibility that I could return. “My agent told me Bill wanted to talk with me, so I was happy. Following a late March workout in Foxborough, he reached terms on a two-year, $5 million contract with the Patriots.īutler said Belichick initiated contact with his agent about a possible return. But the 32-year-old never played a snap for Arizona, citing personal reasons as he stepped away. Tennessee released him for salary-cap reasons in March 2021, which led Butler to sign a 1-year deal with the Cardinals. “I’m glad me and him had a talk, and I’m glad I’ll be back,” he said Monday. Player and coach also reconvened during joint training camp practices the following summer, when Butler insisted his relationship with Belichick was in a good place. Butler and Belichick spoke months later, initially meeting before and after a Patriots regular-season loss at Tennessee.

Six weeks after Super Bowl LII, he left for a massive free-agent deal with the Titans. I’m in the present now.”īutler said he didn’t expect to ever return to New England. I shared my feelings with Bill Belichick, we had a talk about it like grown men, and that’s what we did. His playing time was limited to a single rep on punt return.īutler later added Monday: “You keep business in-house. The veteran cornerback did not play a single defensive snap in the Patriots’ 41-33 loss to Philadelphia, despite leading the team in defensive snaps during the regular season. So you’re going to have keep doing your research or whatever you gotta do, because I’m here for the Patriots and I’m here to be peaceful.”

I know it’ll always be there, but I haven’t said anything to anybody about anything. “You can’t think about the past all the time. I’m trying to live in the present,” Butler said Monday. “I ain’t got too much to say about that, man.

Malcolm butler