The Patriots have had some weird stories unfold over the last couple of years, but the Malcolm Butler saga is definitely up there with the strangest.
Head coach Bill Belichick mysteriously benched Butler for the duration of the team’s showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles at Super Bowl LII. The Patriots defense struggled mightily at times throughout the 2017 campaign, so fans were left puzzled when one of their few healthy defensive stars was left on the sideline while a Nick Foles lead offense dropped 41 points on their team.
Wild rumors surfaced about Butler, some of which suggested the star corner snuck out the night before the big game to get high. None of these rumors could be confirmed nor denied so they should all be taken with a grain of salt.
Whatever the reason, Butler’s relationship with the coaching staff became irreparable, which resulted in him testing the open market in free agency. He found a new home with the Tennessee Titans who gave him a staggering five year $61M dollar contract.
Fast forward several months to training camp, and Butler looks like he is on a mission to silence all of his haters. Patriots fans might have a lot of conflicting feelings about Butler at the moment, but one thing is for sure, he is out to prove Bill Belichick wrong at Titans training camp. He has been making a lot of noise, both vocally and on the field with his solid play.
The Titans secondary was suspect at times throughout the 2017 season and Butler has stepped into a leadership role in that department. He has been very vocal with giving teammates tips, communicating during plays, and talking a lot of trash whenever he makes a big play himself. Butler spent a lot of time throughout training camp blanketing wide receiver Corey Davis, and he has completed dominated his battles against the top tier wideout thus far.
Fans may never understand the full story of Malcolm Butler’s fallout in New England, but he certainly looks intent on proving he was in the right.
