The Tennessee Titans have made their splash. They are expected to sign former Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler. It’s a huge deal, totaling more than 30 million guaranteed.
The #Titans are signing CB Malcolm Butler on a 5-year contract worth more than $61M with more than $30M guaranteed, source said. Wow.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 13, 2018
Butler will be entering his 5th season in the NFL. In four seasons with the Patriots, Butler established himself as one of the better cornerbacks in the league. He has eight career interceptions and 50 career passes defensed.
He exploded onto the scene during Super Bowl XLIX, intercepting Russell Wilson on the goal line in one of the more famous plays in league history.
Butler follows former teammate Logan Ryan, who signed with the Titans last offseason. He will likely start on the outside, opposite of Adoree’ Jackson. Ryan will keep his slot duties, I assume.
The deal is reportedly for five years, totaling 61 million dollars. That’s... large. 30 million of that will be guaranteed, per Ian Rapoport.
It’s worth noting that Butler was benched by the Patriots before this year’s Super Bowl. He said after the game that the team “gave up on him.” That situation was the final nail in his coffin in New England, seemingly.
The Titans are betting on him to be the top corner that he’s been previously, however. This is a big move for a team that was already set up nicely at cornerback. However, as we’ve seen before, you can never have too many defensive backs.
Butler is now a big building block for Jon Robinson as he tries to upgrade this defense. With the cornerbacks in place, expect the Titans to focus on a pass rusher in next month’s NFL Draft.