It appears Malcolm Butler may really be walking away from the game. The Cardinals have placed the veteran corner on the reserve/retired list, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
We heard yesterday that Butler was mulling retirement, and it looks like he’s made up his mind. It was reported yesterday that the former Patriot and Titan was “dealing with a personal situation,” although details were light. All we know is that Butler has been away from the team recently. Apparently both retirement and “stepping away” were both options, so it’s possible this isn’t anything permanent.
Butler is of course known for his Super Bowl heroics with the Patriots, and he spent the last three seasons in Tennessee. Even though he was cut by the Titans this offseason, he received strong marks from Pro Football Focus for his work in 2020. He landed a fully guaranteed one-year deal worth $3.25MM from Arizona, and was expected to be a starter on Vance Joseph’s defense.
The last minute change of plans will leave the Cards a bit undermanned in their secondary after they let longtime starter Patrick Peterson walk this offseason. It looks like fourth-round rookie Marco Wilson or veteran Robert Alford will now be counted on to start in Butler’s place.
Of course, we all hope that whatever Butler is dealing with off the field isn’t anything too bad, and we wish him well with whatever his future holds.
That play call by Pete Carroll was the WORST in SB history, right?
I thought it was an awesome play call!
No. Kaepernik being allowed to throw fade routes to the corner when he had Frank Gore on the 2. Still haven’t forgiven Harbaugh for the worst decision in SB history