Malcolm Butler Reportedly 'Highly Unlikely' to Be Traded Despite Saints Interest

New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler is unlikely to be traded, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Butler has been the source of trade rumors for much of this offseason after he didn't sign his tender with the Patriots initially and the team signed cornerback Stephon Gilmore to a five-year, $65 million contract. But Butler signed the one-year, $3.91 million tender last week.

According to Schefter's report, Butler had been hoping to sign an offer sheet with another team and had visited with the New Orleans Saints. But the Patriots would have had the opportunity to match any offer and, because they placed a first-round tender on Butler, would have received a first-round pick from the team that signed him if they chose not to match the contract.

Talks between the Saints and Butler were so advanced that the two sides had reportedly come to a "basic agreement" on a long-term deal that would have placed him amongst the highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (h/t Kevin Patra of NFL.com).

Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald offered more details on that prospective contract: 

Peter King of The MMQB broke down why the Saints are unlikely to trade for him, however:

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The Saints (picking 11, 32, 42, 76, 103 in the first three rounds) are still interested in Butler, but someone familiar with their thinking believes they are leaning toward keeping their first three picks. The Saints believe that their board between 25 and 75 has a slew of players capable of contributing immediately, with grades close to each other, and the thought of dealing one or more picks for Butler, then paying him a huge contract, is less attractive than it once seemed.

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With Butler now probable to return to New England next season, the Patriots will have an elite combination at the position for at least one year. And if Butler continues to be a top option at the position—he was ranked the 25th-best player in the NFL last year by Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus—he'll be in line to earn a major payday next offseason.

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