FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Veteran full-back Malcolm Butlerthe first to stick with New England Patriots started with an impressive interception in the game during Super Bowl XLIX and ended with a shocking header in Super Bowl LII, expressing surprise Monday that he was back with the team for a second time. .
“I don’t look forward to going back to New England,” Butler said after taking part in the first day of the team’s volunteer recess program.
“But I learned one thing, you never burn your bridges. You handle situations like a man, like an adult. If I hadn’t, I don’t think I would have had it. chance to come back here.”
Butler signed a two-year, up to $9 million contract on March 23ended his one year retirement after he joined The Arizona Cardinals in 2021. Butler said Patriots coach Bill Belichick was the catalyst for his return.
“Unexpectedly, it actually happened. My agent [Derek Simpson] tell me Bill wants to talk to me. I was happy. I started training right away, because I knew that the chances of me coming back were very high,” Butler said.
As the two spoke, Butler said Belichick only asked if he was “locked in” after a year off, and they resolved his Super Bowl suspension after that game in February 2018.
Butler, 32, said he was confident he would return to his former form soon.
“I’m confident I’ve achieved it. I’ve worked hard. I haven’t sat on the couch all season,” said Butler, who is a leading candidate to replace the former player. JC Jacksonwho signed with Los Angeles charger as a freelance agent. “I’m confident in myself, and I wouldn’t be here if the Patriots didn’t think so. I’ll beat it. [those] odds, I’m telling you that right now. “
On his retirement from the Cardinals, Butler said: “Belichick always said ‘do what’s best for the team’ and at the time I think I did what was best for me and my family. psychologically, you can. I don’t have to do anything physically, so I think I made the right decision to do it.
“I left football because I love football. I’m lucky to have another chance to play, thank you Patriots.”
