Vernon Butler
_(cropped).jpg) Butler with the Buffalo Bills in 2021 | |||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born: | June 14, 1994 Pike County, Mississippi, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 325 lb (147 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | North Pike (Summit, Mississippi) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Louisiana Tech (2012–2015) | ||||||||||||
| Position: | Nose tackle | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2016 / round: 1 / pick: 30 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Vernon Butler Jr. (born June 14, 1994) is an American professional football nose tackle who is a free agent. He played college football for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, and selected in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft by the Carolina Panthers.
Early years
[edit]Butler attended North Pike High School in Summit, Mississippi. He played football, basketball and ran track. As a senior, he had 121 tackles and 13 sacks. Butler committed to Louisiana Tech University to play college football.[1]
College career
[edit]As a true freshman at Louisiana Tech in 2012, Butler had 21 tackles. As a sophomore in 2013, he had 43 tackles with one sack and as a junior in 2014, he had 54 tackles and a sack.[2] As a senior in 2015, Butler had 50 tackles with three sacks and was named first team All-Conference USA.[3][4][5]
Professional career
[edit]| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3+5⁄8 in (1.92 m) |
323 lb (147 kg) |
35+1⁄8 in (0.89 m) |
10+3⁄4 in (0.27 m) |
5.33 s | 1.87 s | 3.07 s | 4.76 s | 7.82 s | 29+1⁄2 in (0.75 m) |
8 ft 8 in (2.64 m) |
26 reps | |
| All values from 2016 NFL Scouting Combine.[6][7] | ||||||||||||
Carolina Panthers
[edit]Butler was selected in the first round with the 30th overall pick by the Carolina Panthers.[8] He became the highest Louisiana Tech Bulldog selected since Troy Edwards in 1999.
On May 13, 2016, the Panthers signed Butler to a four-year, $8.39 million contract that includes $7.94 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $4.30 million.[9][10]
On May 2, 2019, the Panthers declined the fifth-year option on Butler's contract, making him a free agent in 2020.[11]
On December 22, 2019, Butler was ejected after punching Jack Doyle of the Indianapolis Colts in a 38–6 loss.[12]
Buffalo Bills
[edit]On March 27, 2020, Butler signed a two-year contract with the Buffalo Bills.[13]
Las Vegas Raiders
[edit]Butler signed with the Las Vegas Raiders on March 23, 2022.[14] Butler was released on August 16, 2022.[15]
New York Giants
[edit]On November 15, 2022, the New York Giants signed Butler to their practice squad.[16] On December 3, 2022, Butler was elevated from the practice squad for the Week 13 game against the Washington Commanders.[17] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 22, 2023.[18] He was released on August 30, 2023.
References
[edit]- ^ "Louisiana Tech lands two from North Pike". enterprise-journal.com. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
- ^ "Tech's Butler nearly unblockable during fall camp". thenewsstar.com. August 19, 2015.
- ^ "Butler wants to prove he's top-ranked DT prospect in NFL Draft". thenewsstar.com. January 25, 2016.
- ^ "La. Tech's Butler has plenty to prove at Senior Bowl". shreveporttimes.com. January 25, 2016.
- ^ "Louisiana Tech defensive tackle Vernon Butler lives up to billing at Senior Bowl practice".
- ^ "Vernon Butler - DT - Louisiana Tech - 2016 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
- ^ "Vernon Butler - DT - Louisiana Tech - 2016 NFL Combine Results". NFL Combine Results. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
- ^ "2016 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
- ^ "DT Butler signs contract". Panthers.com. May 13, 2016.
- ^ "Spotrac.com: Vernon Butler contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- ^ "Panthers pass on Vernon Butler's fifth-year option". Panthers.com. May 2, 2019.
- ^ "Panthers DT Vernon Butler ejected for punching Colts TE Jack Doyle". espn.com. December 22, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
- ^ Williams, Charean (March 17, 2020). "Bills agree to terms with Vernon Butler, Quinton Jefferson". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.
- ^ Raiders Public Relations (March 23, 2022). "Raiders sign DT Vernon Butler". Raiders.com. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
- ^ "Raiders make moves to bring roster to 85-player limit". Raiders.com. August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
- ^ Citak, Matt (November 15, 2022). "Giants sign DL Vernon Butler to practice squad". Giants.com.
- ^ Eisen, Michael (December 3, 2022). "OLB Azeez Ojulari activated among series of moves". Giants.com.
- ^ "Giants sign 10 to reserve/future contracts". Giants.com. January 22, 2023.