.JPG) Butler with theNew England Patriots in 2015 | |||||||||||||||||
| No. 21 | |||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Cornerback | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1990-03-02)March 2, 1990 (age 35) Vicksburg, Mississippi, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| High school | Vicksburg-Warren | ||||||||||||||||
| College | Hinds (2009, 2011) West Alabama (2012–2013) | ||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2014: undrafted | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||
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Malcolm Terel Butler (born March 2, 1990) is an American former professionalfootball player who was acornerback for seven seasons in theNational Football League (NFL). A two-timeSuper Bowl champion and 2015Pro Bowl selection during his tenure with theNew England Patriots, he is best known for his goal-lineinterception in the final seconds ofSuper Bowl XLIX, which prevented a go-aheadtouchdown by theSeattle Seahawks and effectively ensured the Patriots' victory. It is regarded as one of the greatest plays in NFL history.[1][2][3]
Butler playedcollege football for theWest Alabama Tigers. He spent his first four NFL seasons with the Patriots, who signed him as anundrafted free agent in 2014. Butler was a member of theTennessee Titans during his final three seasons.
Butler was born inVicksburg, Mississippi, and has four siblings.[4] He graduated fromVicksburg High School in 2009. As a senior, he averaged five tackles per game. Despite only playingfootball in his freshman and senior years at Vicksburg, Butler earned a scholarship toHinds Community College inRaymond, Mississippi.[5] He also participated intrack and field at Vicksburg, competing in sprints and jumps. Butler had personal bests of 12.07 seconds in the100-meter dash, 1.83 meters (6'0") in thehigh jump, and 6.92 meters (22'8.5") in thelong jump.[6]
In his 2009 freshman year atHinds Community College, Butler recorded 22 tackles and an interception, but was kicked off the team after the fifth game of the season.[5] He transferred toAlcorn State University[7] before being invited back to Hinds Community College in 2011,[5] and as a sophomore recorded 43 tackles, three interceptions, and 12 pass deflections.
In 2012, Butler enrolled at theUniversity of West Alabama, majoring inphysical education.[4] He started all 12 games that fall for theDivision IITigers. Butler finished the 2012 season with 49 tackles, 43 solo, five interceptions (including three in a game againstWest Georgia), and averaged a team-leading 29.8 yards per kickoff return.
In 2013, Butler was named a Beyond Sports Network All-American after recording 45 tackles, two interceptions, and a blocked field goal, and averaging 27.9 yards on kickoff returns during the season. He played in the 2014Medal of Honor Bowl, a postseasonall-star game, registering a solo tackle and an interception.[8][9]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft9+3⁄4 in (1.77 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | 31+1⁄8 in (0.79 m) | 9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) | 4.62 s | 1.62 s | 2.75 s | 4.27 s | 7.20 s | 33.5 in (0.85 m) | 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) | 13 reps | |
| All values are from Alabama’sPro Day[10] | ||||||||||||
Butler received an invitation to attend theNew England Patriots’ rookie minicamp. On May 19, 2014, the Patriots signed Butler to a three-year, $1.53 million contract after impressing coaches with his performance during rookie minicamp.[11] During training camp, Butler competed for a roster spot againstDax Swanson,Justin Green, andJemea Thomas.[12] He had an impressive preseason and earned a roster spot as the sixth cornerback on the Patriots’ depth chart. Head coachBill Belichick named Butler the sixth cornerback, behindDarrelle Revis,Alfonzo Dennard,Logan Ryan,Kyle Arrington, andBrandon Browner.[13]
Butler made his NFL debut in the season opener at theMiami Dolphins and made two solo tackles during the 33–20 road loss.[14] He was inactive for three games as a healthy scratch (Weeks 5–7) after Alfonzo Dennard returned from injury.[15] During Week 9 against theDenver Broncos, Butler collected a season-high four solo tackles and deflected a pass in the 43–21 victory.[16] He was inactive for another two games (Weeks 12–13) as a healthy scratch. During Week 15, Butler earned his first NFL start and recorded two combined tackles in a 41–13 victory over the Dolphins.[17] In the regular-season finale against theBuffalo Bills, Butler collected a season-high five combined tackles during the 17–9 loss.[18]
Butler finished his rookie season in 2014 with 15 combined tackles (14 solo) and three pass deflections in 11 games and one start.[19] The Patriots finished atop theAFC East with a 12–4 record and received a first-round bye.[20] On January 10, 2015, Butler appeared in his first NFL playoff game as the Patriots defeated theBaltimore Ravens 35–31 during the AFCDivisional Round.[21] The following week, he made one tackle as the Patriots defeated theIndianapolis Colts 45–7 in theAFC Championship Game.[22]
On February 1, 2015, Butler and the Patriots appeared inSuper Bowl XLIX against the defending championSeattle Seahawks. Butler began the game as the fifth cornerback on the Patriots’ depth chart.[23] Butler entered the game in the third quarter atnickelback afterKyle Arrington struggled to coverChris Matthews.[23] When Butler was inserted in the line-up, Seattle had scored on four straight offensive possessions. Butler was assigned to coverJermaine Kearse withBrandon Browner covering Chris Matthews. On a first down, Seattle handed off toMarshawn Lynch; Butler made the initial tackle, and Lynch was held to two yards. On the next play,Russell Wilson completed a pass to Kearse, and Butler made the tackle, holding the Seahawks to a five-yard gain. On 3rd-and-3, Wilson threw deep to Kearse and Butler broke up the pass, forcing Seattle to punt. Seattle did not score again.
With under a minute left in the fourth quarter, Butler continued to cover wide receiverJermaine Kearse and deflected a 33-yard pass byRussell Wilson. The deflected ball landed on Kearse as he fell to the ground and allowed him to juggle the ball and to complete the reception in what was described as one of the greatest catches in Super Bowl history.[24][25][26][27] After recognizing that Kearse had made the catch and was not down by contact, Butler pushed Kearse out of bounds at the five-yard line.[24]
Two plays later, with 20 seconds remaining and the Seahawks in position to score on the Patriots' one-yard line, Butler intercepted a pass attempt to wide receiverRicardo Lockette at the goal line, returning possession to the Patriots and maintaining the Patriots' 28–24 lead.[3] Butler said that he had guessed correctly that Wilson would throw to Lockette, having read the Seahawks two-receiver stack formation. Butler stated, "From preparation, I remembered the formation they were in ... I just beat him to the route and made the play."[28] He gave credit to Patriots defensive coordinatorMatt Patricia for preparing players well for the game.[29][30] The interception was the first of Butler's NFL career.[31] It was the only interception of a pass attempt from the one-yard line during the2014 NFL season, out of 109 such attempts.[32]
New England Patriots quarterbackTom Brady, who received a 2015Chevrolet Colorado as part of hisSuper Bowl XLIX MVP Award, said that he planned to give the truck to Butler.[33][34] At the request of Brady, Chevrolet awarded the truck directly to Butler.[35]
Following the departures ofDarrelle Revis,Brandon Browner, andKyle Arrington, Butler was promoted to a starting cornerback position at the start of the 2015 season. During Week 2 against theBuffalo Bills, Butler recorded his first regular-season interception and returned it to the Bills 30-yard line.[36] On November 15, Butler was matched up againstNew York Giants'Odell Beckham Jr., who made four catches for 104 yards and a touchdown on twelve targets.[37] Butler made a strip of Beckham in the end zone when it looked like Beckham had secured possession of the football for a touchdown. The touchdown, which would have given the Giants the lead with 1:45 to play, was nullified by the officials and helped the Patriots hold the Giants to a field goal, after whichStephen Gostkowski kicked a 54-yard field goal for the Patriots to win with one second remaining.[38] In the next game, Butler heldBuffalo Bills wide receiverSammy Watkins to 39 yards on three catches.[39] Overall, Butler led all Patriots in total snaps, and was the only Patriot defensive player to play more than 90 percent of defensive snaps in 2015.[40] As a result of his high snap count and low salary, Butler received a performance-based pay bonus of $319,282.65, the highest of any Patriot in 2015 and the fifth-highest in the league.[41]
On December 22, 2015, Butler was named to the2016 Pro Bowl.[42]
In the season opener against theArizona Cardinals on September 11, Butler broke up a potential touchdown pass toMichael Floyd in the fourth quarter.[43] During Week 7 against thePittsburgh Steelers, he notched his first interception of the season, picking off a pass from backup quarterbackLandry Jones intended for wide receiverAntonio Brown.[44] During Week 11 against theSan Francisco 49ers, Butler recorded his first NFL sack onColin Kaepernick.[45] Two weeks later against theLos Angeles Rams, Butler intercepted rookie quarterbackJared Goff for his second interception of the season.[46] Against theNew York Jets in Week 16 onChristmas Eve, Butler had the first multi-interception game of his career after picking off bothBryce Petty andRyan Fitzpatrick and also recovering a fumble. Butler was named second-teamAll-Pro byPro Football Focus and theAssociated Press.[47] On February 5, 2017, Butler won his second Super Bowl championship as the Patriots defeated theAtlanta Falcons in overtime by a score of 34–28 inSuper Bowl LI. In the game, Butler had two total tackles.[48]
Butler was ranked 99th by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2017.[49]
Set to be a restricted free agent, the Patriots gave Butler a first-round tender worth $3.91 million on March 7, 2017.[50] On April 18, Butler officially signed his tender with the Patriots.[51]
After the Patriots signed former Bills' cornerbackStephon Gilmore to a five-year $65 million contract, Butler was demoted to the No. 2 starting cornerback after sitting atop the depth chart the previous two seasons. He started 15 games, recording 60 tackles, 12 passes deflected, two interceptions, and three forced fumbles.[52]
On January 21, 2018, the Patriots won theAFC Championship to advance to the Super Bowl for the third time in Butler's career.[53] Butler and the Patriots lostSuper Bowl LII to thePhiladelphia Eagles 41–33. Butler did not play any defensive snaps in the game, only coming in for a single play onspecial teams.[54][55]
After the game, Patriots head coachBill Belichick said his lack of playing time was a "coach's decision," not due to disciplinary issues.[56] When asked about the benching, Butler stated "I don't know what it was. I guess I wasn't playing good or they didn't feel comfortable. I don't know. But I could have changed that game."[57] By the next morning, reports claimed that Belichick acknowledged a "much longer discussion" could occur regarding Butler's absence on defense from the game.[58] Patriotsbeat writer Kevin Duffy revealed that Butler was demoted in practice during the Wild Card round of the playoffs, during which the Patriots had a bye week. Later in the week, Butler released a statement regarding his benching for the game.[59][60] It was also revealed that ownerRobert Kraft was not informed ahead of time regarding Butler being benched.[61][62]
On March 15, 2018, Butler signed a five-year, $61 million contract with theTennessee Titans with $30 million guaranteed, reuniting him with former Patriots teammateLogan Ryan.[63]
During the season-opening 27–20 road loss to theMiami Dolphins, Butler recorded his first interception of the season by picking offRyan Tannehill in the third quarter in the end zone and returning the interception 34 yards.[64] During a Week 4 26–23 overtime victory against thePhiladelphia Eagles, Butler had his first sack of the season againstCarson Wentz.[65] Overall, Butler struggled mightily in the first half of the season, but he got better as the season progressed.
During Week 13 against theNew York Jets, Butler interceptedJosh McCown in the final seconds, thus sealing a 26–22 victory for the Titans.[66] Three weeks later against theWashington Redskins, Butler scored his first NFL touchdown after he interceptedJosh Johnson and returned it 56 yards on the final play of the game.[67]
Butler finished his first season with the Titans with a career-high 69 tackles, 12 pass deflections, three interceptions, a sack, and a touchdown in 16 games and 11 starts.[68]
During the season-opener against theCleveland Browns, Butler interceptedBaker Mayfield and returned it for a 38-yard touchdown in the 43–13 road victory.[69] During Week 8 against theTampa Bay Buccaneers, Butler recorded his second interception of the season by picking offJameis Winston in the 27–23 victory.[70] In the next game against theCarolina Panthers, he left the eventual 30–20 road loss in the second quarter with a wrist injury. Butler was placed on injured reserve on November 5, 2019.[71]
Without Butler, the Titans finished 9–7 for the fourth consecutive year and lost to theKansas City Chiefs in theAFC Championship Game.[72]
In Week 5 against theBuffalo Bills, Butler recorded two interceptions off of passes thrown byJosh Allen during the 42–16 win.[73] Butler got his third interception of the season by picking offMike Glennon in a 31–10 Week 14 victory over theJacksonville Jaguars.[74] In Week 16 against theGreen Bay Packers, Butler recorded his fourth interception of the season off a pass thrown byAaron Rodgers during the 14–40 loss.[75] He finished the 2020 season with 100 total tackles (86 solo), four interceptions, and 14 passes defended in 16 games and starts.[76]
In theWild Card Round of the playoffs against theBaltimore Ravens, Butler intercepted a pass thrown byLamar Jackson during the 13–20 loss.[77]
On March 10, 2021, the Titans released Butler.[78]
On March 30, 2021, Butler signed a one-year contract with theArizona Cardinals.[79][80]
On August 31, 2021, Butler decided to retire for personal reasons, and the Cardinals placed him on the reserve/retired list on the same day.[81] On February 18, 2022, the Cardinals formally released Butler.[82]
Butler signed a two-year contract to return to the Patriots on March 24, 2022, coming out of retirement.[83] He was placed on injured reserve on August 16[84] and was released nine days later.[85]
Butler announced his retirement from professional football on March 9, 2024.[86]
Police andcourt records show the recently retired NFL[87] star was arrested inNorth Providence, Rhode Island, on March 16, 2024, and charged March 21 with one count of driving under the influence.[88] The arresting officer reported that he had observed a "strong odor of alcoholic beverage coming from his breath." According to the police report, Butler was also "sweating profusely" and had "extremely slurred and delayed speech along with severely bloodshot watery eyes." When asked if he had been drinking, Butler replied "Just take me to jail" and refused to take either a field sobriety test or breathalyzer.[89]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won theSuper Bowl | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | ||
| 2014 | NE | 11 | 1 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 0.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | NE | 16 | 16 | 67 | 56 | 11 | 0.0 | 15 | 2 | 9 | 4.5 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | NE | 16 | 16 | 63 | 48 | 15 | 1.0 | 17 | 4 | 28 | 7.0 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 2017 | NE | 16 | 15 | 60 | 55 | 5 | 1.0 | 12 | 2 | −1 | −.5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2018 | TEN | 16 | 11 | 69 | 60 | 9 | 1.0 | 12 | 3 | 90 | 30.0 | 56T | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | TEN | 9 | 9 | 32 | 25 | 7 | 0.0 | 9 | 2 | 61 | 30.5 | 38T | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | TEN | 16 | 16 | 100 | 86 | 14 | 0.0 | 14 | 4 | 111 | 27.8 | 68 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 100 | 84 | 406 | 344 | 62 | 3.0 | 82 | 17 | 298 | 17.5 | 68 | 2 | 5 | 2 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | ||||
| 2014 | NE | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2015 | NE | 2 | 2 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 0.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2016 | NE | 3 | 3 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2017 | NE | 3 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2019 | TEN | 0 | 0 | Did not play due to injury | |||||||||||||
| 2020 | TEN | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career | 12 | 8 | 42 | 35 | 7 | 0.0 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
In February 2017,The Hollywood Reporter published an article stating that the production company Narrative Capital had acquired the rights to the story of Butler and his agent Derek Simpson for a film tentatively titledThe Secondary.[90]
