FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots announced today the signing of first-year TE Carson Butlerand rookie free agent WR Rod Owens. Terms of the contracts were not disclosed.
Butler, 6-4, 260 pounds, was originally signed by the Green Bay Packers as a rookie free agent out of Michigan in 2009. He was waived by Green Bay in late July and signed by the Detroit Lions in early August. After being waived by Detroit prior to the start of the regular season, he spent parts of the year on the practice squads of San Francisco and Cincinnati. Butler signed with the New York Giants in January but was waived in June.
Owens, 6-0, 183 pounds, was signed by the St. Louis Rams as a rookie free agent in April. He was released by the Rams in May. Owens finished his college career at Florida State with 91 receptions for 1,080 yards and four touchdowns. As a senior in 2009, he started all 13 games and finished with a team-leading 61 receptions for 729 yards.
