Malcolm Butler is unhappy with the New England Patriots, and one report claims that could have to do with the team telling him an outright lie while trying to negotiate a long-term extension with the cornerback.
According to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, the Patriots offered Butler somewhere around $6 or $7 million per year last year and told him they would never pay a cornerback more than $10 million annually.
Patriots offered Butler somewhere around $6M to $7M annually last season. Butler hoped to be paid in the ballpark of a top-10 CB.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) March 13, 2017
Patriots told Butler last season they wouldn't pay a CB more than $10M annually, so the Gilmore contract was definitely a gut punch.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) March 13, 2017
Either the Patriots lied, or they changed their minds this offseason when they had a chance to sign Stephon Gilmore. New England’s deal with Gilmore is reportedly worth $65 million over five years, which works out to $13 million per year. Gilmore is also getting $40 million guaranteed, so perhaps the Patriots meant the maximum they would pay a cornerback is $10 million guaranteed per season.
While it now seems highly unlikely that Butler will remain with the Patriots beyond the 2017 season, Howe was told he still wants to work something out with the team.
All that said, I was given a strong indication Butler prefers to be a "Patriot for life." He wants to make it work in New England.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) March 13, 2017
If nothing happens with Butler and he remains a Patriot with the $3.91M tender, he doesn't have any plans to hold out.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) March 13, 2017
Butler doesn’t have much leverage, as any team that signed him to an offer sheet would have to give up a first-round draft pick if New England chose not to match. Now that Bill Belichick has paid Gilmore top dollar, teams can expect Butler to hit the open market in a year.
The Patriots were said to be exploring the idea of including Butler in the trade with the New Orleans Saints that brought them Brandin Cooks, but Butler essentially blocked that deal.
