When the Arizona Cardinals announced punter Drew Butler re-signed with the team, the terms of the contract were not announced, That is team policy, but normally the length of the deal is mentioned. It was not announced. With Butler due to become a restricted free agent, the trend with the team is to re-sign a player for one year, often for less money than what the lowest tender amount would be.
However, in what might be considered a surprise, reporter Rand Getlin says the new contract for Butler is two years, $2.4 million.
While the details as to signing bonus and other guarantees was not reported, the length and amount of the deal does tell us something -- the team sees him as their punter this season. It does not mean he will not face competition in camp for the job, but clearly the team expects him to be the guy and it shows the confidence the team has in him.
Update:
Per Kent Somers, there is no guaranteed money in the deal. He will make $700K in 2016 and $1 million in 2017. That leaves an additional $700K up in the air. Since it not guaranteed money, it isn't a roster bonus or anything. One can guess the number originally reported of $2.4 million must be a total value if incentives and/or escalators are hit.
It makes this deal look much less like Butler is a sure thing. Arizona can cut him and suffer no salary cap hit.
Butler has not been the most popular player since joining the team. He filled in for Dave Zastudil in 2014 after he hurt his calf and landed on injured reserve. Butler had a couple of kicks blocked and was inconsistent that season, despite tying for the league lead in punts downed inside the 20. He had a very forgettable playoff game in Carolina and most fans have not forgiven him.
He did kick better in 2015, especially late in the season, but still averaged less than 43 yards a kick -- 29th in the league -- and averaged less than 36 yards net per kick -- 32nd in the league.
Are you satisfied with the Cardinals bringing Butler back? Who might the Cards bring in to contend with him for the job?