The latest panel for ESPN NFL Insiders asks writers where New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler might land in free agency. Two of the writers predicted he would end up with the San Francisco 49ers. The only other potential destination mentioned multiple times were the Houston Texans -- also with two votes.
ESPN writer Matt Bowen had the following to write about his Butler-to-49ers prediction:
"The Niners have the cap space and a need at cornerback. Butler's technique, tackling and man-coverage skill set would upgrade their secondary and give them a cornerback with the ability to challenge routes outside of the numbers."
Aaron Schatz, who is the editor-in-chief of Football Outsiders, wrote the following:
"The 49ers have cap space and need improvement at cornerback -- both outside and inside. They ranked No. 30 in DVOA on passes to No. 1 receivers last season and No. 32 on passes to slot receivers."
Butler's relationship with the Patriots deteriorated, which was evident by the player's benching in New England's Super Bowl LII loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in February. He played 97.8 percent of the snaps for New England during the regular season and was in for every postseason snap. However, in the Super Bowl, Butler played in just one snap, which was on special teams.
"They gave up on me. [Expletive]. It is what it is," a disappointed Butler told ESPN's Mike Reiss following the Super Bowl.
Following the Super Bowl, 49ers wide receiver Pierre Garçon made an effort to recruit Butler via Twitter. Garçon pointed out that San Francisco has an abundance of cap space and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He also believes the 49ers have the best receivers in the division -- himself included.
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"Butler should be appealing to corner-needy teams who have a financial structure that can absorb a corner anywhere between the $6 million-per-year-and-up range," wrote Reiss for an ESPN feature on Tuesday morning.
Spotrac.com actually estimates the 28-year-old cornerback's market value to be around $13 million annually, which would currently make him the seventh-highest paid cornerback based on average annual salary.
Butler joined the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2014 and has won two Super Bowls with the team in his 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 earned him a Pro Bowl selection.
Of course, 49ers fans remember Butler's goal-line interception of the Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson to seal Super Bowl XLIX during his rookie season in 2014. Heading into the game, he was listed as the fifth cornerback on the Patriots' depth chart.
The 49ers are reportedly front-runners for Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson. Another high-profile cornerback, Kyle Fuller of the Chicago Bears, received the transition tag. Of course, that simply allows Chicago to match any offer from a competing team. Should they decide not to, the Bears won't receive compensation for Fuller.
(h/t to Kirk Larrabee of 247 Sports for the find)
