Former Super Bowl hero eyeing comeback after two-year hiatus

Cornerback Malcolm Butler. Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Patriots Super Bowl hero eyeing NFL comeback with Falcons after two-year hiatus

By Vinny Somma | Last updated 8/29/23

Former Pro Bowl cornerback Malcolm Butler is en route to Atlanta.

According to NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe, the 33-year-old is flying to Atlanta and will try out for the Falcons on Wednesday. A second-team All-Pro selection in 2016, Butler hasn't appeared in an NFL regular season game since 2020, when he started all 16 games for the Tennessee Titans, tying a career-best with four interceptions and notching 100 total tackles.

He spent training camp with the Arizona Cardinals the following year but ultimately decided to retire due to personal reasons. In 2022, Butler came out of retirement for a second stint with the New England Patriots but was placed on injured reserve before the start of the season.

Butler's biggest claim to fame came during his inaugural run with the Patriots when he sealed Super Bowl XLIX with a game-winning interception off then-Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.

Pete Carroll and @RSherman_25 take us behind the scenes of the Malcolm Butler interception play call in Super Bowl XLIX.

Watch the FULL interview with the @Seahawks head coach: https://t.co/LGREvVjkqQ pic.twitter.com/mtJszfBfIh
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) August 22, 2023

Should Butler latch on with the Falcons, he'd presumably slide in behind A.J. Terrell and Tre Flowers, serving as a depth piece in an Atlanta secondary bitten by the injury bug this summer.

Former No. 3 overall pick Jeff Okudah, who the team acquired in a trade with the Detroit Lions in April, has been dealing with an ankle injury. Head coach Arthur Smith told reporters on Saturday he’s “very optimistic” Okudah will return to the Falcons lineup in the early weeks of the regular season. Mike Hughes, another cornerback with a first-round pedigree, has been battling a soft-tissue injury.

Arthur Smith said he’s still “very optimistic” about getting Jeff Okudah back in the early weeks of the season.
— Tori McElhaney (@tori_mcelhaney) August 26, 2023

In 2022, the Falcons defense allowed the eighth most passing yards in football (3,942). The unit's 10 interceptions on the year tied for the sixth-fewest in the NFL. Butler has accounted for 17 interceptions and 82 passes defended over his seven-year career.

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