The New England Patriots made numerous additions to their roster this offseason, but of all position groups, the wide receiver may be the most changed from last season.
The Patriots notably released Stefon Diggs at the beginning of the offseason, then signed Romeo Doubs to a four-year deal after he had a career-high 724 yards last season with the Packers. In the team's only playoff game against the Bears, Doubs had 8 catches on 11 targets for 124 yards and a touchdown.
Doubs has notably been a fantastic playoff performer throughout his career despite modest regular-season numbers. He averages just shy of 93 yards per game in his playoff career.
While the addition of Doubs was notable, New England trading for A.J. Brown was one of the biggest moves of the offseason. Brown has seven 1,000-yard seasons in his eight-year career, and, paired with Doubs, the Patriots' receiving room promises to be much improved.
With the additions of Brown and Doubs, New England has a plethora of capable receivers who are or will otherwise be reduced to being backups. One of those players is former LSU Tiger Kayshon Boutte.
Kayshon Boutte's future with the Patriots remains uncertain
The Patriots' backup receivers include five receivers who were with the team last season: Boutte, Mack Hollins, Pop Douglas, Kyle Williams, and Efton Chism III. UDFAs Kyle Dixon, Cameron Dorner, and Jimmy Kibble have also received some hype after strong collegiate seasons in 2025.
Brown and Doubs will primarily play on the outside in 2026, meaning slot snaps will be easier to come by. That's good news for Douglas and Chism, but it would reduce the others to more limited roles on offense. Boutte, who's entering a contract year, isn't likely to be happy about that.
Last season, Boutte put the league on notice while playing second fiddle to Diggs. In 14 games, he totaled 33 catches for 551 yards and 6 touchdowns. He ranked 4th in yards per reception, and in the playoffs, he had 66- and 75-yard games to open New England's first postseason since 2021.
During his 75-yard playoff game against the Texans, Boutte made a ridiculous one-handed snag to put the game out of reach. The 33-yard catch was ranked the sixth-best of the season by the NFL, as the league posted on X.
The TOP 10 catches of the 2025 season! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/yH3iCAX6Yd
— NFL (@NFL) July 1, 2026
Boutte is a good player and would immediately add to any receiving corps around the league. While Mike Vrabel and company would likely love to keep Boutte around in 2026, it feels quite unlikely that will be the case.
If he can manage a strong season in 2026, be it in New England or elsewhere, he'd be in line for a strong payday. He'd likely find himself somewhere between Khalil Shakir ($13.2 million) and Rashid Shaheed ($17 million) on the open market. After playing 90.3% of his snaps on the outside last season, sticking with the Patriots would likely see Boutte give up on an impressive payday.
While Boutte has been a diamond in the rough since being selected in 2023, the Patriots may not have a choice but to keep him on the team in 2026.
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