NEW: Patriots’ Butler Signs Restricted Free Agent Tender
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler has signed his restricted free agent tender, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. Butler had until Friday, April 21 to sign an offer sheet with another team
The Patriots can now either pay Butler $3.91 million for the 2017 season or trade him to another team. Prior to Butler signing the tender, it was against NFL rules for the Patriots to discuss him in a trade.
"Our focus and goal is to put together the best team possible and however we're going to improve our team, whatever players we think are going to help our team for the 2017 season, then that's what we're going to do," said Patriots Director of Player Personnel Nick Caserio when asked about Butler in his pre-NFL Draft press conference this week.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTEarlier in the offseason, Butler had a restricted free agent visit with the New Orleans Saints.
“For us it was a chance to meet him. Put him on the board, find out how much football he knows. He's from Mississippi. I think it was a good step . . . He's a guy we thought enough of in this process. We'll see, though,” said Saints head coach Sean Payton during the NFL meetings in Arizona.
Butler With the Patriots
After going undrafted out of the University of West Alabama, Butler was working at a Popeyes restaurant when his agent got him a tryout with the Patriots.
A few months later, he became a Super Bowl hero.
Butler intercepted Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson to seal the Patriots Super Bowl 49 victory.
Two years later, Butler is the Patriots number one cornerback and has a second Super Bowl ring as New England beat Atlanta in Super Bowl 51.
Source: Patriots CB Malcolm Butler has signed his restricted free agent tender. A trade is still on the table.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 18, 2017
Patriots CB Malcolm Butler has signed his RFA tender, per @FieldYates. That means trade talks can commence. Relevant: Draft is 9 days away.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) April 18, 2017
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