Cardinals top CB Malcolm Butler reportedly considering retirement

Arizona Cardinals cornerback Malcolm Butler is reportedly thinking about ending his NFL career due to a personal matter.

Compared to the 2020 season, the current group of Arizona Cardinals cornerbacks looks much different. But with new additions like free-agent Malcolm Butler and rookie Marco Wilson, the Cardinals still felt like their pass defense could still be solid this year.

However, some news dropped on Monday that could result in Arizona not even getting to utilize Butler out on the field during the upcoming season.

According to NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo on Monday, Butler is currently “mulling retirement,” from the league due to a “personal situation.” Garafolo also shared that the Cardinals corner has been away from the team within the last week as he deals with his current personal situation.

Malcolm Butler retiring would be a huge blow to the Arizona Cardinals

Butler isn’t considered one of the elite cornerbacks in the NFL right now, but he still has the skills to be a starter for just about any team in the league.

For Arizona, he was expected to begin the 2021 season as one of the team’s two starting corners. If he ends up retiring, the Cardinals could be forced to start someone like Wilson, a rookie that wasn’t drafted to be an immediate starter.

At the same time, Butler needs to focus on what is best for himself and his family first. Football needs to be put on the back burner, and if retiring from the NFL ends up being the decision that needs to be made, then so be it.

There have been no additional details regarding exactly what sort of personal matter Butler is currently dealing with. But one can assume it’s a serious situation since it’s caused him to consider retiring from a profession that has earned him millions during the last few years.

This is certainly something to pay attention to and it might be best for Arizona to start making some calls to see what other corners are possibly available to acquire in a trade if they end up needing to find a replacement for Butler.