Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
John Lynch and the San Francisco 49ers executives may not be able to talk to New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler until March 14 (or his agent on March 12), but nothing is stopping wide receiver Pierre Garçon from doing so. The 49ers' veteran made a pitch via Twitter to get Butler to consider joining his team. San Francisco has cap space, will soon have a top-tier quarterback locked up, one of the brightest minds in football as its head coach, and a need at cornerback.
Of course, Butler has been in the news since the Patriots' loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII. As Eagles receivers looked across the line of scrimmage, they wondered why Butler was not on the other side.
Head coach Bill Belichick's decision to not play Butler was a puzzling one and has been criticized because his presence might have changed the outcome of the game. ESPN reports that Butler had played in 97.8 percent of the team's regular-season snaps and every postseason snap. During Super Bowl LII, he played just one snap, which was on special teams.
Speculation on why Butler did not play has run rampant with theories including an inability to handle what the coaching staff was asking him to do against Philadelphia to disciplinary reasons.
Following the game, Butler told ESPN's Mike Reiss, "They gave up on me.
[Expletive]. It is what it is."
On Tuesday, Butler refuted the accusations and stated that he never took part in any of the "ridiculous" activities suggested.
"During my four year career [with] the Patriots I have always given it everything I have to play at a high level, and would never do anything to hurt my teams' chances of winning a game, including this year's Super Bowl where I visited with my family every night,"
he wrote via Twitter. "During Super Bowl week I never attended any concert, missed curfew, or participated [in] any of the ridiculous activities being reported. They are not only false, but hurtful, to me and my family.
"Although I wish I could have contributed more to help my team win, I have to get ready for the next opportunity. Moving forward I will do what I have always done to work hard, and prepare for next season to be the best I can be on and off the field."
Patriots quarterback
Tom Brady responded to Butler's statement via Instagram. "Love you Malcolm," he wrote. "You are an incredible player and teammate and friend. Always!!!!!!"
Butler's tweet also thanked his Patriots teammates and fans, making it sound like he is closing the door on his time in New England.
Butler joined the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2014 and has won two Super Bowls with the team in four seasons. Over the past three seasons, he has started all but one game for New England and registered 190 combined tackles, two sacks, 44 passes defensed, and four forced fumbles during that span. Butler's 2015 performance made him a Pro Bowl selection.
The cornerback is scheduled to become a free agent in March.
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
Analyst Dane Brugler recently revealed his seven-round mock draft for The Athletic, forecasting all 257 selections in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, set to kick off next week.
"Piecing together a mock like this is time consuming, but I enjoy the exercise, because it allows me to focus on each team's needs, organizational trends and prospect-team pairings that make sense based on '30' visits, league buzz and overall interest," Brugler wrote.
Most expect the 49ers to address the trenches early in the draft, and Brugler has the team doing that. It's just not on the offensive side of the football. In fact, Brugler doesn't have San Francisco
