Malcolm Butler, who was coached by Belichick during his time in Foxborough and is remembered as the hero of the Super Bowl victory over the Seattle Seahawks, knows the head coach well. The former cornerback believes that Belichick’s ability to recruit top talent could be the key to his success in his new chapter at UNC.

“He’s finna win,” Butler told The Mina Kimes Show. “Bill Belichick never been the guy about money. Obviously, we need to be compensated for what we do, but this NIL deal, Bill Belichick go finds Malcolm Butler working at Popeye’s. You ain’t think he finna find no players that’s going to come in and play? He’s going to find players that people don’t want.”

Additionally, the former Cardinals and Titans player highlighted how Belichick was able to spot talent in players like Tom Brady and Julian Edelman—athletes whom many others might have overlooked.

“What about Tom Brady? What about Julian Edelman?” the former cornerback finally concluded.

Belichick expressed satisfaction with the recruiting process

One of the qualities most praised about Bill Belichick is his ability to recruit the best talent for his team. Now, as the new head coach of North Carolina, the HC has begun his journey in college football by recruiting talent, a process he expressed satisfaction with according to his vision.

“It’s been great,” he said on the Pat McAfee Show last month. “It’s been great to get on the road and see some of the great high school coaches, programs, players. Still a lot more to hit but it’s been fun connecting with so many people—some new, some old—it’s been a great process. There’s a lot of really good kids out there, it’s been fun to see them.”

Belichick’s main goal at UNC

While results are naturally important and the on-field performance cannot be overlooked, Bill Belichick understands that one of his primary goals during his time in Chapel Hill is to attract young talent to join the program.

“We want to be a national school, and we are a national school. It is a national brand, and everybody wants to go to Carolina,” Belichick said via Carolina Insider. “We know it’s very difficult to get acceptance into the school as an out of state student, but … we’ve had tremendous interest from student athletes nationally that have great interest in the program. And so we’re, you know, we’re everywhere. We’re gonna recruit North Carolina hard, that’s the most important state, but we also want to have a national presence for student athletes that want to come here.”

He also spoke about the NFL approach when it comes to recruiting players for his roster: “Well, it’s a little different than than what I did with draft prospects, because there is a drafting element, but we also recruited a lot of players who weren’t drafted, guys like David Andrews, who wasn’t drafted, who’s the starting center for the Patriots the last nine years that Mike and I recruited out of Georgia as an undrafted player.”

During the golden era of the Patriots, Malcolm Butler was one of the main leaders of the team. The cornerback was a key piece of their defense, and he proved it in the Super Bowl 49 against the Seattle Seahawks.

At the end of the game, Seattle had a significant opportunity to secure victory. However, instead of running the ball, Pete Carroll instructed Russell Wilson to attempt a pass through the center. Malcolm Butler intercepted the ball to end the match, securing the fourth Vince Lombardi trophy for New England.

Malcolm Butler draws interest from NFC South team to return to the NFL

During his time with the Patriots, Malcom Butler won two Super Bowls, but it was the 49th edition in which he truly shone. The cornerback sealed the game with a crucial interception at their own 1-yard line, instantly etching his name into the team’s legend.

Surprisingly, one season later the team decided to move on from him. Butler joined the Tennessee Titans in 2018 and played three campaigns with the AFC South team. He has not stepped on a field since 2021.

However, Butler has a new opportunity to make his NFL comeback this year. According to KPRC2, the cornerback is visiting the Atlanta Falcons for a workout, and there are real chances that he signs with the NFC South team to play the 2023 season.

Is Malcolm Butler still playing in the NFL?

As of today, Malcolm Butler is not on any NFL team roster. His last season was in 2020 with the Titans. However, the 33-year-old cornerback could make a comeback if the Falcons offer him a deal to play this year.