Two NFL wide receivers made recruiting pitches to Malcolm Butler

New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler tackles Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins during the first half of an NFL game in 2017. AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

By Mark Dunphy

February 7, 2018

1 minute to read

Malcolm Butler will be an unrestricted free agent when free agency starts in March, and two NFL wide receivers are suggesting potential landing spots if he decides to leave the team that benched him in Super Bowl LII.

DeAndre Hopkins of the Houston Texans and the San Francisco 49ers’ Pierre Garçon both made recruiting pitches to the Patriots’ cornerback via social media.

Garçon invited Butler to join him and former Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo at Levi’s Stadium. On Twitter, Garçon reminded Butler that the 49ers have cap space and a budding franchise quarterback, then added that Butler wouldn’t have to line up against the best wide receivers in the NFC West because they’d be on his side.

Garçon also took a shot at Bill Belichick’s decision to keep Butler on the sideline for all but one snap in Super Bowl LII, telling the free agent that in San Francisco, “You won’t have to worry about the head coach being all up in the videos. All in the way and stuff. One goal in mind over here.”

Yo yo @Mac_BZ come to The Bay. @49ers we got CAP SPACE, a QB and the best receivers in the division are on your team. You won’t have to worry about the head coach being all up in the videos. All in the way and stuff. One goal in mind over here. #SB53 Let’s Get It #49erFaithful

— Pierre Garçon (@PierreGarcon) February 7, 2018

Butler played on a one-year, $3.9 million deal this season, but he’s expected to earn substantially more than that in free agency this offseason. The 27-year-old played four years in New England, including the interception that sealed Super Bowl XLIX, before Belichick benched him on Sunday.

On Monday, Hopkins suggested that there would be a place for Butler on former Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien’s team in Houston. The Texans’ All-Pro receiver even went so far as to photoshop a picture on Instagram, giving Butler a sneak peek at a deep steel blue future.