The New Orleans Saints announced today that they have agreed to terms on a two-year contract with unrestricted free agent linebacker Victor Butler. The announcement was made by Saints’ Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis.
Butler, 6-2, 245, was originally drafted in the fourth-round (110th overall) in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, playing in 63 games with two starts and posting career totals of 64 tackles (49 solo), 11 sacks, two stops for a loss, five passes defensed, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. On special teams, he’s registered 40 tackles and one forced fumble
Converted to a linebacker in the Cowboys’ 3-4 scheme after playing defensive end at Oregon State, Butler appeared in 16 games with one start in his final season in Dallas in 2012 and posted a career-high 24 tackles (22 solo), three sacks, one tackle for a loss, three passes defensed, one forced fumble, as well as four stops and a forced fumble on special teams.
The Rialto, Calif. native came into the NFL following a four-year career with the Beavers, where he totaled 110 tackles, 39.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage and 26 sacks, departing ranked second all-time in school record books in takedowns and fourth in stops for a loss. As a senior team captain, he earned first-team All-Pac 10 honors as he posted career-highs in tackles (65), sacks (12) and tackles for a loss (21.5), also adding four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
