FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler made a statement this week by showing up at the team's voluntary offseason program: Disappointment over not receiving a lucrative long-term extension won't be a factor in his making a full-fledged investment to the club in 2017.

This isn't necessarily a surprise based on Butler's first three years with the Patriots. From an on-field and pure competitiveness perspective, he has been exemplary.

But sometimes business-based matters can complicate things, and this has been a different offseason for Butler, which has been well-documented at this point. Yet his decision to join teammates for voluntary work, at a time when coaches can now work with players on the field, confirms that he is all-in for 2017 in New England despite an uncertain future beyond this year.

On April 25, when it became clear he had little leverage and a return to New England was a reality, Butler posted a tweet that seemed to reflect his mindset, which he later deleted: "you got to be productive no matter where you at or what you do...."

With Butler diving in this week -- he attended the Boston Celtics' thrilling overtime victory over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night with teammates -- the question now remains: With Butler pairing with Stephon Gilmore as the team's projected top cornerback tandem, could this be the best 1-2 duo the Patriots have had in Bill Belichick's tenure?

Ty Law and Otis Smith from the early 2000s warrant consideration in the discussion, while in 2003, Law and Tyrone Poole teamed up for one of the most impressive wire-to-wire seasons the Patriots have seen from their top corners.

Asante Samuel and Ellis Hobbs (2007) are a cut below, but the 2014 tandem of Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner might be the best of all. More recently, the Butler/Logan Ryan combination held its own.

How the Gilmore/Butler combination stacks up will be one of the fun storylines to follow in 2017.