A two-time Super Bowl champion is calling it a career. On Tuesday, the Arizona Cardinals placed defensive back Malcolm Butler on the reserve/retired list after signing with the team this year. Butler has missed practice all week as he’s been dealing with a personal issue, leading to him contemplate retirement. However, it’s possible Butler could return to the team if he wants.
“We all like Malcolm, like what he is about, he’s a really good player in this league, and it was a personal decision of his,” Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury said, per the team’s official website. And when asked about the details, Kingsbury said: “That’s a personal question that you’d have to ask him, but as an organization, and talking with his people, this is the spot we came to.”
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Butler signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Cardinals after spending the last three seasons with the Tennessee Titans. According to Pro Football Talk, Butler will not get the $3 million since the majority of his signing bonus was deferred until early next year. This comes as the Cardinals were looking to bring back legendary wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who played out his contract once the 2020 season came to an end.
Last year, Butler had a strong season with the Titans, recording 100 tackles, four interceptions and 14 passes defended. He spent his first four seasons with the New England Patriots where he won two Super Bowls. Butler virtually won a Super Bowl for the Patriots during his rookie season (2014), intercepting Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson on the final play of the game as the Seahawks will looking for the go-ahead touchdown.
“Everyone though they were going to run the ball, and I thought they were going to run the ball, too,” Butler said to NBC Sports last year when talking about the play, per CBS Boston. “I learned a long time ago if the quarterback is throwing the ball, I guess he’s going to favor the receiver or look at him or see what’s going on in the area. I just felt like Wilson, he was just looking just a little bit too much and I think I just caught a little whiff of what he was going to do.”
