New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler didn’t receive the new contract he desired this offseason, but he has a chance to earn some serious dough in 2018 and beyond with another All-Pro-caliber season.
Butler, who’s playing on a one-year, $3.91 million restricted free agent tender this season, has re-joined the Patriots for Phase 2 of the team’s offseason workout program, ESPN’s Field Yates reported Wednesday.
Butler didn’t participate in Phase 1 of the offseason workout program, according to Yates. The cornerback is “all-in” for 2017, ESPN’s Mike Reiss noted.
Butler currently is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2017 season, but he and the Patriots could reach a contract extension any time before the start of the 2018 NFL new league year.
The Patriots are set to have one of the NFL’s premier secondaries with Butler, Stephon Gilmore and Eric Rowe at cornerback and Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung and Duron Harmon at safety.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
