It always seemed to me that being a receiver on the Patriots requires a slightly different skillset. It seems to be the smart guys that run perfect routes that work out, and if Bill sees that in somebody that also has good YAC potential I'm pretty happy with it. What I'm not so crazy about is his contract. He costs next to nothing this year, but it's his last year. If he excels, and there's every reason to assume he will, this is probably a first round pick for a 1 year player. They could exercise his 5th year option, but the clock's ticking on that one.
Still, I'm liking the way this is all going so far. NE was the odds favorite to win again next year the day after the superbowl. They haven't gone backward and they might actually wind up being a better team when it's all said and one. If they keep Butler they will have replaced Logan Ryan with Gilmore and added a long ball threat.