Patriots Rumors: Malcolm Butler 'Frustrated' with Stephon Gilmore Signing

The New England Patriots bolstered their secondary this offseason by signing cornerback Stephon Gilmore to a five-year deal worth $65 million, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, but not everyone in the organization was reportedly pleased.

On Sunday, Michael Giardi of CSN New England reported cornerback Malcolm Butler's camp is "extremely frustrated" with the Patriots and the decision to sign Gilmore. Giardi noted Butler is "courting offers elsewhere" and would like a "new home."

Butler is not an unrestricted free agent until after the 2017 campaign, per Spotrac, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk cited a source who said the cornerback's decision to not sign his restricted free-agency tender is why he wasn't seriously considered as a piece of the trade with the New Orleans Saints that brought in wide receiver Brandin Cooks.

Florio explained Butler wants a long-term deal and "isn't willing (or able) to accept the difference between a player who hits the market unfettered and a player who still has one year to play before becoming an unrestricted free agent."

"The biggest money goes only to truly unrestricted free agents, or to franchise-tagged players who parlay the amount of the tag (and the promise of a 20-percent raise the following year) into a long-term deal," Florio continued, adding that Butler isn't likely going to see the type of money Gilmore did from the Patriots after their investment in the new cornerback.

Butler is a notable name across the league largely because of his game-saving interception at the goal line in the Patriots' Super Bowl XLIX victory over the Seattle Seahawks. He was a consistent force in New England's secondary this season and tallied a career-high four interceptions on the way to another Lombardi Trophy.

However, ESPN Stats & Info noted Gilmore's $40 million guaranteed in the new deal represents the most such money New England has dished out to a defensive player. That is a serious commitment, and he is just 26 years old.

If Butler wants to be paid like a No. 1 corner one day, it appears as if he will need to go to another team with Gilmore taking in so much money already from his position.