Let's address the enduring mystery before we even get started.
Does Malcolm Butler want to add any context to his Super Bowl benching against the Eagles?
"Nah, I ain't got too much to say about that, man," he said Monday. "I'm trying to live in the present. You can't think about the past all the time. So I'm moving forward from that. I know it will always be there but I haven't said anything to anybody about anything. So you're gonna have to keep doing your research or whatever you got to do, because I'm here for the Patriots and I'm here to be peaceful."
With that out of the way, yes, the veteran cornerback, who rose from an undrafted free agent in 2014 to full-time starter and Pro Bowler before leaving in a contract squabble in 2018, is as surprised as anyone that he is back in Foxborough.
"I didn't expect to come back to New England," Butler said, "but I always had respect for the New England Patriots, Mr. Kraft. Jonathan Kraft, Bill Belichick. And one thing I learned ... you never burn your bridges down, you handle situations as a man and as a grown-up. And if I didn't do that, I don't think I had the opportunity to come back here. So pretty sure I made a good decision by acting like a grown man.
"It came as a surprise. It really did."
How did his return initiate? With a request to speak from one Bill Belichick.
"My agent told me that Bill wanted to talk with me," Butler said. "So I was happy. You know, I started working out immediately because I knew it could be a possibility that I can return and that's what happened. So I'm just blessed to be here. I'm dedicated and committed.
"We just talked about the contract. And he asked me was I locked in, was I all in, and ready to play. I told him, 'Yeah, I am.' He said I know you took a year off and you know, the transition is going to be hard since you took a year off. But he knows I'm up for the challenge. I can take that challenge and come in here and work hard and take on any role so there wasn't much to talk about because I'm here to work."
The one thing Butler did reveal about the Super Bowl fallout was that he and Belichick cleared the air about it right after it happened.
"It wasn't hard (to keep the situation to himself), because like I say, you know, keep business in house," Butler said. "I shared my feelings with Bill Belichick. We had a talk about it like grown men and that's what we did. And that's the past. I'm going to the present now, we're in the present, we're in 2022 now. It's a whole four years later now so you can't live in the past all the time."
Butler said, after a year's retirement, he is ready to pick up where he left off as a player in 2020.
"Yes sir," Butler said. "I'm confident I got it. I worked hard. I didn't sit on the couch all offseason and I'm confident in myself and I think I wouldn't be here if the Patriots didn't think the same. So you know, I'll defeat the odds. I'm telling you that right now.
"(The decision) was tough, man. At home on Sundays, watching the game on Monday, Thursdays and Sundays. Sitting on the couch, missing the game and it was tough. It was a tough situation, but I think I made the right decision. Self-awareness is the best awareness but you know, you have to fight through things and make sure your mind is at a good standpoint. And that's what I did and I'm glad to be back here and glad it worked out for me."
And he's ready to take on any role, whatever that may be.
"It felt like I was here yesterday, to be honest," he said. "And one thing I know about the New England Patriots, the hard work is still here. And I'm pretty sure I'll sleep well tonight (after today's voluntary workout). But you know, I miss it. I enjoy it. I'm here to help the team. My role is gonna be whatever I make it. I'm here to help the team. I'm here to lead. I'm a veteran. And I'm gonna do whatever to help the team.
"I'm not really heavy on predictions man. You know, I wasn't even predicting to come back to New England Patriots. So I'm just gonna let everything play itself out. Just like I retired, got myself together, worked hard, prepared. And I'm just going to do what I got to do to help the team win and, you know, whatever my role is, then when I make it. I'm just gonna work hard, lead, do the right thing. And do the best I can man whatever opportunity I get. I'm gonna make sure I take advantage of."