Not gonna lie, I’m not really enjoying the last couple weeks of the “Butler’s mad, maybe they’ll get Sherman” merry-go-round. Long gone are the days of “holy hoodie we got Brandin Cooks.” Now it seems like all anyone cares about is what’s going to happen with Butler.
For the record I love Butler. And not just for the SB49-sealing interception. I believe he’s the best young corner the Pats have had since Ty Law and I do hope that he sticks around in New England for a long time. However, with the first round RFA tender Butler is scheduled for a 652 percent raise, going from making $600K in 2016 to $3.91 million in 2017.
This would also give Butler the 9th-highest average annual salary under Belichick. So I think we need to pump the brakes a bit on how much Butler is getting screwed here. By now we know this is how the Pats do business. There’s no sentimentality, it’s all about maximizing the 1-53 roster even if some feathers get ruffled.
Let’s take a look at what the Pats have paid corners in the past and how Butler fits into it all, even on his RFA first round tender.
The unfortunate part for Butler is that he is a restricted free agent. The Patriots hold all the cards. We all thought there was a chance the Pats would use some of their extensive cap space to extend Butler now, but let’s face it, the Patriots rarely give someone a monster contract when they really don’t have to.
Stephon Gilmore‘s $13 million APY deal was a shocker. That’s a million bucks more than they paid Darrelle Revis in 2014, but again, Gilmore was an unrestricted free agent. Never had the Patriots ever paid any cornerback that kind of money in a long term deal.
For a one-year rental of Revis or Asante Samuel under the Franchise Tag, they’d pony up some cash, but outside of those situations Leigh Bodden‘s four-year, $20 million deal in 2009 was the biggest long term deal they’d ever given a cornerback.
That’s why the Gilmore signing was such a shock. Not only that they paid out that kind of money to a cornerback, but that it went to an external free agent before Butler. So I get why Butler could be like “WTF?” but again, Butler was a restricted free agent and the Patriots were maximizing their cap space like they always do.
There’s still a very good chance that Butler and Gilmore are the starting cornerbacks on opening day. Combined they’d be making $3 million dollars more than Revis and Brandon Browner did in 2014 combined. That seems to be what the Patriots plan has been all along, instead of giving Butler the monster deal then having to replace Logan Ryan with someone who would certainly be a step down from Gilmore.
It’s too bad if Butler’s feels were hurt in the process, but restricted free agency, along with the franchise tag, are ways that the teams have leverage and the Patriots always maximize their leverage. It’s a nice consolation that Butler is still getting a monster raise while also being paid amongst the most money the Patriots have given to cornerbacks.
He’ll have to wait another year for his Gilmore-esque monster deal, but it’s certainly coming and the better he plays in 2017 the bigger it will be. And it should be a lot easier to stand out playing with someone like Gilmore on the other side.
No matter where Malcolm Butler ends up – Foxboro, NO, parts unknown – told he is attacking his workouts & plans on “proving” his worth (1/2)
— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) April 5, 2017
(2/2) Source also tells me Butler has his head in the “right place” even if he has to play under tender. Still hasn’t gotten insurance tho
— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) April 5, 2017
