Source confirms Jets interest in Malcolm Butler

Heading into free agency, a source has confirmed the New York Jets have interest in bringing potential free agent cornerback Malcolm Butler into the mix.

It’s no secret that the New York Jets need help bad across various parts of their roster. When it comes to their cornerback situation, they’re also in dire need of adding better talent to keep up with the majority of opposing teams.

The NFL is dominantly a passing league and if the Jets want to have a defense capable of keeping up with playoff-contending teams, they need to add better talent at cornerback. Buster Skrine isn’t consistent and racks up too many penalties which have extended plays for the opposition. Morris Claiborne was good up until he got injured yet again in his career last year and wasn’t the same since.

Considering that Claiborne is also a potential free agent this offseason, means he could very well bolt to another team if he feels a better opportunity exists elsewhere. Cornerbacks Juston Burris and Darryl Roberts aren’t starting material just yet as they are depth players if anything at this point in time. Even if the Jets bring back Claiborne, they need to add better talent alongside him to get the job done.

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The good news is, if cornerback Malcolm Butler hits free agency, the Jets have their eyes on him thanks to everything he brings to the table. In a tweet by Calvin Watkins of Newsday via Twitter, he confirmed that the Jets will look into signing Butler but like with any potential free agent, it all comes down to the finances.

The Jets have a lot of money to play with this offseason, especially after just cutting defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson and the retirement of running back Matt Forte. Butler has a lot of gas left in the tank and is a very good cornerback. He’s easily an upgrade over anyone the Jets had last season and brings not one but two Super Bowl championships to his name.

In his career so far with the New England Patriots, Butler has totaled 177 tackles, eight interceptions, and has been relatively healthy for the majority of his career. He’s a natural born tackling machine and would not only bring some much-needed aggression to the Jets defensive secondary but would add even more to the rivalry against the Patriots.

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Considering how things ended last season with the Patriots, Butler sure would love to get back at his old team during division games twice every season. All in all, it would be a win-win situation for both sides but expect to see Butler ask for a lot of money since he knows he’d be among the top cornerbacks potentially testing the free agency market.