Patriots sign CB Butler

The New England Patriots signed cornerback Malcolm Butler to a free agent tender on Tuesday that makes the hero of their fourth Super Bowl victory eligible to be traded.

Butler visited the New Orleans Saints last month, but they declined to sign him to an offer sheet that could have required them to compensate New England with their first-round draft pick, No. 11 overall. Instead, the Saints are believed to covet Butler in exchange for the No. 32 overall pick.

Butler could not be traded until he signed the tender, which would pay him $3.91 million for the 2017 season.

Butler, now 27, was an undrafted free agent who during his rookie season of 2014 intercepted Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson at the goal line in the final minutes of the Super Bowl to secure the victory for the Patriots. But New England coach Bill Belichick has balked at giving him a long-term deal.

Rooney remembered: The 90-minute funeral celebrating longtime Pittsburgh Steelers president and chairman Dan Rooney, who died at 84 last Thursday, offered a glimpse into a man who turned a moribund franchise into a dynasty; helped refine the vision of the modern NFL; and attempted to ease regional tensions as U.S. ambassador to Ireland.

“He was a Pittsburgher,” Cardinal Donald Wuerl said. “He was the best of us.”

To the right in massive St. Paul’s Cathedral sat hundreds of current and ex-players — from Joe Greene and Franco Harris to current stars Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown. Down in front sat good friend and former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State John Kerry.