Malcolm Butler: 'I’ll ball harder this year' with Cardinals

One-time Pro Bowl cornerback Malcolm Butler unsurprisingly became a salary-cap casualty and was released by the Tennessee Titans ahead of the start of the new NFL year because he would've carried a $14.2 million cap hit for the 2021 season, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. 

Butler, who turned 31 years old earlier this month, ultimately joined the Arizona Cardinals on a one-year "prove it" deal, and he spoke about the nature of NFL business and about what he can offer Arizona as a proven veteran during his introductory press conference on Tuesday. 

"This is the NFL. It’s about business, the cap space, they had some trouble with that," Butler explained about his departure from Tennessee, according to Simmons. "I was going to make a ton of money this year if I’d have stayed with the Tennessee Titans. And I’m pretty sure they needed help in other positions, so I wasn’t that surprised. But I was. But it’s business. No bad blood with that. They’re just doing what’s best for the team." 

Butler recorded 100 total tackles, four interceptions and 14 pass breakups during the 2020 campaign and vowed to post even better numbers with the Cardinals.

"I’ll ball harder this year," he confidently said. "I had my best year at the age of 30, my best year. So age ain’t nothin’ but a number over here." 

Three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt and former Cincinnati Bengals starting safety Shawn Williams are among other veterans who have joined the Cardinals via free agency this month.