Malcolm Butler Eyes NFL Comeback

Malcolm Butler’s last NFL game was more than a year ago when he was a member of the Tennessee Titans.

There might be a next one.

The Arizona Cardinals removed Butler from their reserve-retired list Thursday, which cleared the way for the 31-year-old cornerback (he will be 32 in two weeks) to resume his career, if he so desires. The NFL Network’s Mike Giardi reported that Butler has been “working out diligently” with that goal in mind.

Butler retired unexpectedly late last August, five months after he signed with the Cardinals. He was with Arizona because the Titans released him last March in a move that freed up a little more than $10 million in salary cap space given that he had two years remaining on a five-year, $61.25 million deal. At the time, he said he had “a lot of gas left in the tank.”

Butler played three seasons with Tennessee and in 2020 tied a career-high with four interceptions, led the team with 14 passes defended and made reached 100 tackles for the first time in his career.

All told, he appeared in 41 games for the Titans (36 starts), had nine interceptions, forced one fumble and scored two touchdowns on interception returns.

Undrafted out of West Alabama in 2014, he spent his first four years in the NFL with the New England Patriots and earned a notable and a dubious place in Super Bowl history. His goal-line interception in Super Bowl XLIX preserved a 28-24 Patriots victory over Seattle. Four years later – after having been a starter during the regular season and playoffs – he played just one snap in New England’s 41-33 loss to Philadelphia in Super Bowl LII, and no reason was given for that decision.