Heading into the 2026 NFL Draft, the roster holes the Patriots need to address are beyond clear, one of which is the receiving corps. Although ongoing rumors suggest they'll eventually trade for AJ Brown, that's far from certain, and there's an argument to be made that they need more help than just one more player.
Some discussion has mentioned trading away players to bring in the kind of talent they need, and that's something Nick Cattles suggested during an episode of Locked On Patriots last month.
Because they have only signed Romeo Doubs in free agency to presumably fill the void left by Stefon Diggs, there are some players who could be on the trade block. Cattles beleives Boutte could, and should be, one of them.
But is that a good idea?
Kayshon Boutte could be considered a trade candidate this offseason
Although he has had an impressive last two seasons in New England, he might be their best trade asset in the receiver room, and including him in a trade for either more draft picks or another player could sweeten a deal to reach an agreement.
Cattles suggests the Patriots are considering it for a few reasons, one of which is that he's entering the final year of his rookie contract, and it's unlikely they'll extend him.
“Placing Kayshon Boutte on the trade block is an option we need to discuss. Boutte got off to a very good start early last season, then kind of faded. Now you look at it: he’s entering the last year of his contract, and here we are in March of 2026 — very different conversation.
We’re not talking about extending Boutte anymore; instead, we’re talking about possibly putting him on the trade block.”
While there's an argument to be made that trading Boutte would be a good idea, there's also the other side that doesn't sound so good. The Patriots' offense needs improvement, so why would trading away one of their better receivers even be something they'd consider?
It seems like a much better plan to add to the roster rather than subtract, and moving on from a productive player like Boutte would be a giant step backward.
The only way it would maybe make sense is if he were involved in a trade for someone like AJ Brown, or part of a trade package for another superstar player. But even then, they'd still need to add help to the receiver room for Drake Maye, or risk the offense getting worse and not better.