There has been a lot of debate about whether the Patriots should keep or trade wide receiver Kayshon Boutte this offseason, and that only ramped up once training camp began last week.
Because they added Romeo Doubs in free agency and traded for A.J. Brown, the offense officially has their presumed WR1 and WR2, pushing Boutte down the depth chart despite performing like a top-tier pass catcher in 2025. That allegedly prompted him to demand a trade back in April, and since then, rumors have suggested the Patriots are entertaining the idea.
He's about to play on the final year of his rookie contract, and there is a strong possibility that he won't receive an extension any time soon, so the idea of trading Boutte now and getting something in return is likely appealing to New England's front office.
But his clear chemistry with Drake Maye, which was on full display last year when he recorded 33 receptions for 551 yards and six touchdowns, has only continued this summer, and that connection continues to show Mike Vrabel and Co. that keeping Boutte around might be the smarter decision ahead of a very difficult season.
In fact, the receiver has now strung together several practices that show just how important he is and could continue to be in Josh McDaniels' offense, especially for Maye, and it's hard to understand why they would even slightly consider trading him ahead of Week 1.
Kayshon Boutte is making the debate about trading him much easier to settle
Because Boutte's future appeared to be up in the air going into the offseason, he was inevitably going to be a major focal point of the summer when practices began to ramp up. Although he seemed a bit detached going into training camp, he's made it clear that playing in a contract year is a motivating factor, and knowing it could earn him an extension or a trade might be a bonus.
From what we've seen so far, he's outperformed several of his receiver teammates, most notably Doubs, who hasn't acclimated to the Patriots' offense as quickly as many hoped.
That would presumably give the front office pause about trading him, especially since rumors suggest they haven't received any offer higher than a fifth-round pick, and ensuring that Maye has the best group around him should be a priority.
Right now, that looks like keeping Boutte in the lineup.
His consistency and explosiveness have only gotten stronger every year since he's been in the league, and he's proven that he can be a reliable playmaker for Maye in the biggest games, which we saw during the playoffs last year. You can't just take that away, and you certainly don't do it for a low-round draft pick.
The problem is that they likely won't get anything more than that from a receiver-needy team, and if they don't plan to extend Boutte, then they'll probably offload him for that price. It feels like a mistake waiting to happen, and considering they've struggled to find adequate receivers for many years, trading one they drafted makes it look even worse.
Maybe if he keeps having standout practices, then they'll be forced to reconsider a potential trade, which already looks like the smart thing to do.
It shouldn't get to the point where everyone is screaming that Boutte should remain on the roster, yet the Patriots seem to be moving in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, we'll probably have to keep our fingers crossed that it won't happen, but they haven't shown us anything to believe it won't just yet.
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