Report: Malcolm Butler to Try Out for Falcons; Won Super Bowl 49 with Patriots

Free-agent cornerback Malcolm Butler will take part in a workout for the Atlanta Falcons Wednesday, according to NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe.

The 33-year-old Butler spent seven seasons in the NFL with the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans from 2014 to 2020, and he has not appeared in a regular-season game in either of the past two campaigns.

Butler is best known for making one of the biggest plays in NFL history, as he intercepted then-Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson at the goal line in the closing seconds of Super Bowl XLIX to seal the Patriots' win.

Butler played sparingly during the regular season as a rookie in 2014 before his iconic Super Bowl play, but he spent the next three seasons as a starter in New England, earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2015 and a second-team All-Pro selection in 2016.

He won a second Super Bowl with the Patriots in 2016, but in 2017, he was shockingly benched for the Pats' Super Bowl LII loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

That signaled the end of Butler's Patriots tenure, as he signed a five-year, $61.25 million contract with the Titans in free agency.

Butler started 36 of the 41 games he appeared in for the Titans over the next three seasons, recording 35 passes defended and nine of his 17 career interceptions.

The Titans released Butler following the 2020 season, and he signed with the Arizona Cardinals, but he retired from football just before the start of the 2021 campaign.

Butler came out of retirement in March 2022 and signed a two-year deal to return to New England, however, he was placed on injured reserve in August 2022 and was subsequently released.

Prior to Tuesday's deadline to cut down rosters from 90 players to 53, A.J. Terrell and Jeff Okudah were penciled in as the Falcons' starting boundary corners with Tre Flowers and Mike Hughes behind them, and Dee Alford at slot corner.

Last season, Atlanta ranked 27th in the NFL against the pass, and while it made moves to add depth to the secondary during the offseason, Butler could perhaps provide the Falcons with the type of veteran experience they currently lack.

Playing in the wide-open NFC South, the Falcons have a legitimate shot to win the division and make the playoffs in 2023, and signing Butler would be the type of low-risk move that could help them accomplish their goal.