The end of Malcolm Butler’s tenure with the New England Patriots didn’t end on a high. Butler was infamously benched for the Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles and the reasons for that move have remained a mystery to this day.

But while Butler wasn’t in Belichick’s plans in the Super Bowl, he was still interested in keeping the cornerback in the plans for next season and possibly longer, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network:

But during the free agency period that immediately followed, Butler remained on the Patriots' radar. As the Titans cornerback gets set to face his old team Sunday, it's worth noting that New England was still interested in re-signing Butler at the right price, sources say.

Butler garnered significant interest in free agency and eventually signed a five-year, $61.25 million contract with the Titans. That was likely some way from the “right price” the Patriots had in mind.

Butler has since struggled to live up to that huge contract this season. He is one of the worst-rated cornerbacks in the entire league by Pro Football Focus as he's given up the most receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns among all corners.

Based on Belichick’s comments about Butler after his departure, it sounds as if he still has a great deal of respect for the player despite benching him for the biggest game of the year. Although, it would’ve been interesting to see how their relationship would’ve worked had Butler stayed.

But we’ll never know what would’ve happened because Butler got paid in free agency. And given how poorly Butler has played thus far this season, perhaps the Patriots were fortunate not to bring the corner back after all.