Fantasy Land: A New Start For Malcolm Butler?

Let me take you on a trip down memory lane. The ball sits at the one-yard line. It is 2nd and Goal. The Seattle Seahawks are looking to punch the ball in and win the Super Bowl. The Patriots’ defense couldn’t stop Marshawn Lynch out of the backfield. The ball is snapped, and Wilson throws a quick pass to the right side — PICKED OFF BY MALCOLM BUTLER. The game is over, and the Seattle Seahawks were never the same.

Fast Forward to 2022: The once Super Bowl Champion is being released by the Arizona Cardinals. Malcolm Butler will be entering his age 32 season and is looking for a new home. If we learned one thing from last season, it would be the Buccaneers are prone to injury in the secondary. We could potentially lose Jordan Whitehead and Carlton Davis III this season. Next year we could watch Sean Murphy-Bunting and Jamel Dean leave as well.

It makes sense to kick the tires on the veteran cornerback.
Butler has accumulated 17 interceptions during his NFL career. He has played in 100 games. He could come in and give the Buccaneers some much-needed depth and provide some leadership in the secondary. The once heroic cornerback in New England didn’t play a snap in Arizona due to a personal situation, which landed him on the reserve/retired list.

In 2020, he appeared in 16 games for the Titans and had 4 interceptions. Butler is now a free agent and will look to provide a team with some secondary help. He can still be a productive corner, and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles knows how to get the best out of his guys. Butler wouldn’t cost much to bring, considering his deal with Arizona was 1-year for $3 million. If it doesn’t work, the Buccaneers could always send him on his way.