Adam

Butler

Butler returns to Las Vegas where he had nice season in 2023 season racking up five sacks. He’ll team up with Maxx Crosby and newly acquired Christian Wilkins for what should be one of the most dominant fronts in the NFL.

Butler is the latest former Pat to join Brian Flores in Miami. He was durable in New England, playing all 16 regular season games in three of his four years there. Butler will join a Dolphins defensive line graded by Pro Football Focus as the league’s 13th best rush defense and 14th best pass rushing unit.

The tender is worth $3.26 million. The Patriots added Beau Allen to their defensive trenches but still figure to lean on Butler, fresh off career-highs in sacks (6) and tackles (26) in his third year with the team, following the loss of Danny Shelton to Detroit. Byron Cowart could also rotate in on occasion.

26 in April, Butler notched career-highs in tackles (26) and sacks (6) in his third year off the bench with the Patriots last season. He’ll make $3.251 million in 2020 — a questionable amount to gift the former undrafted defensive tackle given his likely lack of interest if New England had extended an original-round tender.

Butler set season highs with six sacks in a sub-package role last year. Undrafted in 2017, the Patriots would risk not getting any compensation if they didn’t tender Butler at the second-round level. There’s unlikely to be interest in 25-year-old Butler for that price.