Malcolm Butler Opens Up on Super Bowl LII Benchings and Life Inside the Patriot Way
Bill Belichick is synonymous with winning in the NFL. Six Super Bowl rings, a legacy that stretches across two decades, and a reputation for doing things his way - even when those decisions leave people scratching their heads.
One of the more confounding moments of his storied career? Super Bowl LII, when cornerback Malcolm Butler, a key defensive piece all season, was inexplicably benched.
Now, nearly eight years later, Butler is offering some insight into that night - and the complicated dynamic between player and coach - during an appearance on The Pivot Podcast.
“It was tough, especially the whole world watching things like that,” Butler said. “Knowing that I could have been in that game... I don’t think it was the right decision.”
Butler wasn’t just a role player. He was the Patriots’ No. 2 cornerback and a former Super Bowl hero - the guy who sealed New England’s dramatic win over Seattle in Super Bowl XLIX with a goal-line interception that’s still replayed every February.
But in Super Bowl LII, he played just one snap - on special teams. The Patriots’ defense struggled all night, surrendering 41 points to Nick Foles and the Eagles in a game that turned into a shootout.
Belichick’s explanation? Simply a “coach’s decision.”
Butler, though, has never quite bought into that.
“I’m ready to show up, show out. I’m ready to pull the hamstring,” he added, suggesting he was willing to give everything he had that night. “Sometimes people don’t see eye to eye on things like that.”
It’s a moment that still lingers - not just for Butler, but for fans and former teammates who watched the defense falter without one of its top playmakers on the field. And while Belichick has never elaborated, Butler’s comments give us a rare look inside one of the more mystifying decisions in recent Super Bowl history.
From Undrafted to Unforgettable
Butler’s relationship with Belichick didn’t start with glory. It started with scrutiny. As an undrafted rookie in 2014, Butler had to earn everything - and that meant being under the microscope every day.
“Bill Belichick used to always pick on me,” Butler recalled. “I’m like, man, I can’t do nothing right. But you know what they say - when a coach doesn’t say nothing to you, you might need to be worried.”
That attention, however frustrating at the time, turned out to be a sign of belief. Belichick saw something in Butler - and he was right.
That belief paid off in the biggest moment possible when Butler jumped Ricardo Lockette’s route and intercepted Russell Wilson at the one-yard line to clinch Super Bowl XLIX. It was a play that didn’t just win a title - it reignited the Patriots’ dynasty.
Life Inside the Patriot Way
Butler also spoke about the culture in New England - the much-discussed “Patriot Way” - and how it shaped him as a player and a person.
“I just think that the expectation was high around the building,” he said. “I didn’t think that it was that difficult; it was just all rumors. Like, what coach or organization doesn’t want everybody to be locked in, be on one page, and be successful?”
It’s a fair point. The Patriot Way has often been described as rigid, intense, even joyless at times.
But for players like Butler, it was also a formula for winning. And winning, as he noted, isn’t supposed to be easy.
“It’s kind of tough to play there,” he admitted. “But that’s how you win championships.”
The Post-Patriots Journey
After Super Bowl LII, Butler signed a five-year, $61 million deal with the Tennessee Titans. His time in Nashville had its ups and downs. In 2019, he played just nine games before a wrist injury sidelined him for the rest of the season - and kept him out of the Titans’ surprising run to the AFC Championship Game.
He bounced back in 2020, starting all 16 games, racking up 100 total tackles, and helping Tennessee win the AFC South. But the playoff magic didn’t return, as the Titans were bounced in the Wild Card round.
In 2021, Butler joined the Arizona Cardinals but retired just five months later. A year later, he attempted a comeback with the Patriots, re-signing with the team that made him a household name.
But the reunion was short-lived. He was waived that summer and officially retired - for good - in 2024.
Legacy of a Champion
Malcolm Butler’s NFL story is anything but ordinary. From undrafted rookie to Super Bowl hero, from Belichick’s doghouse to the biggest defensive play in Patriots history, and from mysterious benchings to multi-million-dollar contracts - his path has been winding, unpredictable, and unforgettable.
The Super Bowl LII benching will always be a mystery. But for Butler, the journey - the highs, the lows, the lessons - is what defines his legacy.
He didn’t just play in the NFL. He left a mark on its biggest stage.