For years, New England Patriots fans have twisted their brains into pretzels trying to figure out why Bill Belichick benched Malcolm Butler in Super Bowl LII.
It has been one of the great unsolved NFL mysteries that has created multiple theories and speculation. Well, a new theory has suddenly emerged, thanks to former Eagles wide receiver Alshon Jeffery.
When appearing on Pardon My Take, Jeffery explained an alternative way of looking at Belichick's decision to bench Butler. Most have written it off as a disciplinary action without a backstory to fully flesh out the reasoning. However, Jeffery believes it was a simple matter of Belichick avoiding a bad matchup.
"I think Bill was a smart coach that he's seen that year before, we practiced against
them and it wasn't a good matchup for [Butler]," Jeffery said on Pardon My Take." ...Every one-on-one route, never lost. Every receiver, I don't think we dropped a ball. They went from press coverage, everybody back."
Bill Belichick might have known Malcolm Butler would have been a problem in the Super Bowl pic.twitter.com/fOsTuup9oR
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) October 2, 2026
Even if Belichick was concerned with the matchup, one would think he might have gone back to it when he saw the new plan blow up in his face.
The Eagles' offense dominated in the game in a 41-33 victory with Nick Foles under center at quarterback.
As time passes, it's starting to become clear that the real reason for Belichick benching Butler might forever remain a mystery in football lore.
Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: New theory in Malcolm Butler Super Bowl LII benching mystery revealed
