The discussion around the Patriots' receiving corps has been exhausted over the last few months, as rumors linking the team to a trade for A.J. Brown dominated headlines. Now that the trade has been made, the conversation has only picked up, and for good reason.
Besides the inevitable excitement about what a player of Brown's caliber adds to the offense and how he will immediately elevate Drake Maye, there has also been plenty of debate about how the other receivers will line up on game day and how Brown's presence might force a shift in McDaniels' game planning.
That is particularly true for Kayshon Boutte, who has appeared as the outsider for much of the offseason, prompting plenty of trade rumors to make their way into the news.
It all stemmed from the assumption that the Patriots' wide receiver room was going to be overcrowded with Brown taking up the WR1 role, and that would force them to move on from someone, so Boutte seemed like the most likely to go.
However, from what we've seen at minicamp so far, McDaniels doesn't appear to have that mentality, and that's a major win for Maye, the offense, and the fans who believe in Boutte.
Josh McDaniels' plan for the Patriots offense is becoming more clear at minicamp
Based on all accounts from Patriots reporters this week, McDaniels was diving into his playbook to get both Brown and Boutte on the field at the same time, proving that they don't need to move on from the fourth-year receiver just yet.
This should, at the very least, quiet down the Boutte trade talk for the time being.
Kayshon Boutte got plenty of run with the #Patriots first-team offense.
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) June 9, 2026
Lined up at the same time with A.J Brown. Boutte was at X, Brown at Z.
Unfortunately, we know that won't be the case. But if McDaniels continues to show that both receivers can be on the field at the same time, or even fill different roles when needed, then that's an exciting development considering Boutte has shown he can be a reliable option for Maye to work with.
He's shown that often over the last three years, especially last season, when he recorded some of the most impressive catches of all his teammates. If he continues on the trajectory he appears to be on, then the Patriots will have another superstar on the roster.
They would be one of the most dynamic offenses in the league, even more than they already have the capability of being with McDaniels making the calls, and that's exactly what they needed after how last season ended.
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